


Demigod, Meet Wizard (Percy Jackson/Harry Potter Crossover)

by Tahala118



Series: Harry Potter and Percy Jackson Multiverse [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Nico di Angelo, Crossover, Established Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, F/M, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley Friendship, Jason Grace & Percy Jackson Bromance, M/M, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace Friendship, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson Friendship, Smart Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 29,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24460012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tahala118/pseuds/Tahala118
Summary: Just your typical Nico di Angelo goes to Hogwarts story, except where it isn't. (I hope) Nico just wanted to live a normal life, or at least as normal as you can get for a son of Hades. He wanted to hang out with his friends and his sister. He wanted to redecorate the Hades cabin because, gods it's ugly. He wanted to spend time with Will Solace and be at peace for once. Having his father and the goddess of magic appear on his doorstep smashes any chance for peace. He still didn't know why he felt like he knew the Percy look-alike though.Harry Potter was ready to go insane. Cut off from the wizarding world and then attacked by dementors. He is beyond confused. First of all he has no idea what Voldemort was up to. Second of all he's been having weird dreams lately and could barely remember them when he woke up. Lastly was the whole deal with the American transfer student. Harry couldn't figure out why he seemed so familiar.Takes place after Heroes of Olympus, during Order of the Phoenix. Further details in the book.//I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON CHARACTERS, RICK RIORDIAN DOES////I DON'T OWN THE HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS, J.K ROWLING DOES////I OWN THE PLOT,DON'T TAKE IT//
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Harry Potter, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Harry Potter and Percy Jackson Multiverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047904
Comments: 540
Kudos: 324





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is my first fan-fiction on Archive of our own but I have written others on Wattpad under the same username if you want to check them out. This story takes place during Order of the Phoenix and after Heroes of Olympus. I guess you could say it takes place during Trials of Apollo but the ToA plot is in the background. It will be mentioned occasionally but it will be 95% spoiler free. Also for the sake of the story let us pretend that Harry Potter happened in the modern world. The wizards are old fashioned anyway. Hope you enjoy!

Nico's pov

Like any sensible person I was asleep at 2 am until two gods broke my door down. I grumbled in Ancient Greek under my breath and sat up, blinking sleep out of my eyes.

" Son " I bowed my head respectfully

" Father " I turned to the other god who decided to rudely wake me up and my eyes widened

A beautiful young woman of about 20 or so stood next to my father. She had flowing raven hair and milky white eyes. She smoothed her blood red dress, put her large handbag on the floor, and grinned at me.

" Lady Hecate " I bowed to her as well because gods can be temperamental like that

" Nico di Angelo, your father and I have a quest for you " she said her melodic voice echoing through the cabin

I swore in my head. Guess I'm not going to watch Leo jet-ski while being on fire tomorrow after all. What a shame.

" What would that be my Lady? " I questioned while keeping my annoyance out of my voice

Her grin widened which did not sit well with me.

" I assume you know of the Wizarding World? "

I frowned. True I knew about wizards, I saw them get judged like any other mortal. Though there was one particular one that Father and Thanatos would complain about for hours on end.

" Would this quest have anything to do with Tom Riddle? " I asked carefully fighting the urge to flip off the deities and go back to sleep because I wasn't planning on getting incinerated today

She nodded

" Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort, has returned to the land of the living and is gathering his forces as we speak to take over the Wizarding World. He'll be recruiting wizards, monsters, magical creatures, and demigods if he could find them. Your job will be to attend Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry and help the Chosen One defeat Tom Riddle " she explained

" Chosen One? As in a prophecy? Aren't all ways of telling the future gone? " I straightened in an attempt to stay alert

" Yes, but this prophecy was made 16 years ago by a Seer named Sybil Trelawney. As for the Chosen One, you'll know him when you see him " I nodded

" When will I leave for Hogwarts? " I ask finally

" The start of term isn't until September 1st which is in about a month. You will leave for the London tomorrow morning which will be afternoon for them. You'll have enough time to get acquainted with wizards and get your school things. You'll be introduced as an exchange student from America. Your father will have an account ready for you in the wizarding bank. Finally there is one thing that you must always carry with you in the Wizarding World " she extracts a long thin box from her handbag and gives it to me " your wand "

I take it and open the box to see a stick so gray it's nearly black. I pick it up and feel a tingle of magic go through me. I hated myself for shuddering. My father cleared his throat, obviously a bit annoyed that he hasn't been able to say anything this whole time.

" Hecate will bless you with magical powers and knowledge to keep up with your fellow fifth years so you don't need to worry about sticking out. You'll need to keep your abilities and true identity a secret which I hope you already knew. Find Tom Riddle Son, and bring him to justice. Thanatos and I have an ongoing bet with Zeus and Poseidon on when we'll finally get him into the Fields of Punishment. He killed a boy earlier this summer " he added as an afterthought " decent for a mortal, went to Elysium" he gave me one last penetrating glare " Do not fail me "

On that cheerful note he dissolved into the shadows. Hecate turned back to me.

" Right. So your wand is made of Ash wood with a thestral hair for the core and is more or less 12 inches long. You'll be staying at the headquarters of a secret society known as the Order of the Phoenix for the remainder of the summer. I'll remind you that unless you deem it absolutely necessary, you are to stay under the pretense that your father was a powerful pureblood wizard and that your mother was a muggle-born, thus making you a half-blood. Not even the teachers know about this just in case one of them decides to tattle to the Ministry of Magic. They will not take kindly to the knowledge that the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses still exist " she pulls out a trunk that was way too big to have fit in her handbag " You can find information on Hogwarts in here, you'll also have to put all of your things here. The wizards are a bit outdated. Good luck Nico di Angelo " 

She disappeared into the Mist. I blinked once. Twice. I then decided it was too early for this and went back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Holy Hephaestus! What happened? " I groaned at the sudden yell and slowly sat up. 

I saw the newly alive Leo Valdez gaping at my door, or least where it used to be. I groaned again.

" It's nothing Leo, Hecate and my dad just decided to stop by for a midnight visit " I deadpanned while grabbing some clothes and walking to the bathroom

" How come? " came his muffled question as I pulled on my shirt

" Something about wizards and Tom Riddle. Point is, I got a quest, and I gotta get going " I adjusted my new aviator jacket that Calypso weaved for me and walked out

Leo looked baffled but didn't say anything

" Alright hermano, well if you're going on a quest I suggest grabbing some breakfast or else Will will have your head " he snorted " Will will, I'm hilarious " and walked out

I would've never admitted it but hearing Leo call me brother made my heart soar. I finally belong, I finally have a family here. I scowled, and no wizard Hitler is going to take that away from me. I took Leo's advice and had a light breakfast before packing my things. By 10:00 am I was ready and the only thing I needed to do was say my goodbyes. Or rather my last goodbye. I had already given my farewell to basically everyone except for the one who'll be least happy about it. I walked towards the infirmary and knocked on the door. Will Solace, son of Apollo, opened it and beamed when he saw me.

" Hey Death Boy " he said turning to take inventory of supplies

" What's up Solar Flare? " I grinned, it hurt my face less and less each time

" Nothing much, how about you? Hiding any injuries for me to heal? " he gently placed his hand on mine and his eyes took a faint golden glow

I rolled my eyes at his distrust but couldn't blame him. After all I did hide injuries frequently.

" You're okay for once! " he exclaimed finishing his magic diagnostic but leaving his hand on mine

" Of course, you should trust me more " he looks unconvinced

" Uh huh, and I'm a son of Hades. So why did you stop by, somehow I don't think it was to see your significant annoyance " I chuckled lightly before nodding

" Yeah you see, I kinda got a quest from my dad and Hecate and I'll probably be gone for like a year or something. Surprise wizards are real! Anyway I came to say goodbye, though I might be back for the holidays " I spoke so quickly Leo would've been proud

" You're leaving today? " he asked incredulously

I nodded and watched him wilt like a dead flower. I put my other hand on his shoulder.

" Hey it's just a magic war against a wizard Nazi, how hard can it be? " he scoffed and kissed me on the forehead

" Don't do anything stupid " he chided

" Never " I smiled and turned around to run back to my cabin

By the time I was ready to go it was about 10:30 am which would mean 4:30 pm in London. I checked the address one last time.

Number 12 Grimmuald Place; London, England

I concentrated hard as the shadows enveloped me and I was whisked off into darkness. I reappeared in a house that immediately set off my senses. DANGER! DANGER! I look at the people in the room and offered them a tired smile.

" Hey "

And then I heroically passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating every Friday! Hope you enjoyed, leave kudos and comment if you did, I hope you have a great day!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wizards try to find out more about the emo American who materialized on their dinner table.

Harry's pov

I wasn't planning on having a random stranger suddenly materialize on my food, but hey, accidents happen, I'm sure he didn't mean to. I had practically leapt out of my seat as all the adults drew the wands and pointed them at the teen? He was definitely about my age, maybe younger. I definitely had a few inches on him but he was an average height of about 5'6. he had messy shoulder length black hair that contrasted immensely with his pale white skin. He wore muggle clothes, black jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a brown aviator jacker. Oh and he also had a pitch black, double bladed, three foot long sword at his waist, but who cares, no one except me apparently. The boy gave off a dark and dangerous vibe that made me wary of him, but at this same time, he felt, familiar. As though he was a long lost friend. He gave us a tired smile that didn't reach his dark brown eyes.

" Hey " and then he passed out

Mrs. Weasley reacted first waved her wand to catch the boy before he fell off of the table and gently put him on the ground. Mad-Eye Moody scowled at the boy before turning to examine his trunk which had also landed on the table. Everyone was quiet until Ron opened his mouth.

" Alright, what the bloody hell was that all about? " I couldn't agree more with my best friend

" How'd he get in? We've got wards all over the house banning all forms of magical transportation! " Mad-Eye growled glaring at the boy as though he was a dark wizard in the making

" I'm not sure Alastor but I'm sure he isn't a dark wizard " Mrs.Weasley said kneeling down next to the boy and examining him

" But Molly- " 

" Why don't you tell Dumbledore about this? I'm sure he'll know what to do "

That got him going. He hobbled out of the room and once outside apperated with a loud CRACK!

Mrs.Weasley sighed and tapped the boy's clothing with her wand muttering under her breath:

" _Revelio_ " 

For a moment nothing happened until suddenly his pocket started glowing. Mrs.Weasley pointed her wand at his pocket and said " _Accio_! " a small ziplock bag filled with what looked to be graham crackers flew out. She looked at the bag questioningly before setting it down on the table and tapping her wand on his trunk and once more uttered: " _Revelio_ " the trunk swung open and a faint glow emitted from it. She reached into the trunk without looking, I think in an attempt to respect his privacy. She took out a bottle of some strange liquid, a book, and several weapons, including a silver bow and arrow. I stared at the things now assembled on the table while Hermione looked at the things questioningly.

" Why does he have all of that sports stuff? Is he muggle-born? " she questioned

" That's for sports? The muggle world is weird. There are also a bunch of rulers " he adds pointing to a dagger

Were they blind? I think they're blind. However, I didn't want to see off my rocker seeing weapons that no one else could see so I wisely kept my mouth shut.

" I'm not sure what this potion is, or these crackers but I think we should keep them somewhere safe until we can get some answers " Sirius said while holding the bottle up to the light

" Right you are Sirius, now let's get this boy upstairs, do you and Harry mind one extra Ron? " she asked

Ron shrugged 

" As long as he doesn't kill us in his sleep with that weird stick " he says looking at the teen's sword

Hermione rolled her eyes

" It's a baseball bat Ronald " she said

" I knew that "

I might be losing my sanity. The hours passed by but the mystery boy snoozed on. We frequently had to check if he was still breathing. Finally around midnight I fell into an uneasy sleep, thinking of the boy's sword and how easy it would be for him to slit our throats in our sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up to yelling. I sat up and reached around for my glasses. The strange teen had woken up and was searching his pockets. His hand rested on his sword and he relaxed momentarily before tensing up again and glancing at me, then Ron, hand holding the hilt of his weapon in a death grip. He also took a dark gray wand out of his jeans pocket and pointed it loosely at me. I could tell from his stance and eyes that he was still tired despite the long sleep. He seemed quite distressed at the loss of his graham crackers which only made me want to ask more questions. I heard rapid footsteps and the door flew open. Mr and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Lupin, Hermione, and Tonks all came in with wands drawn. The boys eyes flicked over each of them and assessed them with a critical eye. He must've been used to these kinds of situations. How depressing. I finally found my glasses and put them on, flattening my bangs over my scar so he might not identify me. No such luck. He turned back to me and let out an audible gasp. His grip on his wand and blade tightened even more if it was humanly possible. Nothing however, could've prepared me for what he said. With a sad undertone, an American accent with a lilt of something else, Italian? He muttered:

" James? "

Sirius and Lupin both turned towards him

" You knew James? " Sirius asked dubiously

" Of course I've heard of him, he was a brilliant wizard " he looked towards me again

" You must be his son, Harry Potter " I nodded slightly

" Well since you know my name, could I have yours? " he hesitated before nodding

" I'm Nico di Angelo, nice to meet you. Sorry about the entrance, I was aiming for the outside of the house " he said sheepishly as though it was a common mistake

" It's alright, you did kind land on my pie though " I grin weakly

" Huh, so that's why my shoes are stained " he returned the grin

Mr and Mrs. Weasley and Tonks lowered their wands but Lupin, Sirius, and Hermione didn't.

" Who are you? " Lupin asked

" Didn't I just say so? Name's Nico, I'm an American exchange student, I'll be attending Hogwarts this year and my Headmaster said I could stay here for the remainder of the summer. I suppose he didn't tell you? " he looked amused at the end

I saw Hermione mouth ' di Angelo ' before her eyes widened and she ran off. Lupin and Sirius exchanged glances before lowering their wands as well.

" Alright, we still have a lot of questions but I guess you're off the hook for now " Sirius said sternly

"Phew, I was really worried there " he said sarcastically wiping his brow

I saw the corners of Lupin's mouth twitch, and a flicker of a smile on Sirius's face before they both left and went downstairs with Mr.Weasley. Mrs.Weasley walked over to Nico. 

" Hello Nico, I'm Molly Weasley. Would you like to come down and have breakfast with us? " she asked kindly

" Only if it's not a bother " he replied politely

" Of course not " she patted him on the shoulder

" I'll be going downstairs, Harry and Ron will show you to the kitchen " and with that she left

Nico turned towards Ron.

" You can stop pretending to sleep now " 

Ron sat up, incredulous

" How'd you know? " he gapes

" People don't breathe that frequently when they're asleep " he held out a hand " Nico di Angelo"

" Ron Weasley " he took his hand and shook it before releasing

"Right, we better get ready. We'll probably be doing more cleaning after breakfast " he stood up and walked over to his trunk

" Cleaning? " Nico questioned

Ron explained to Nico how filthy Headquarters was and how it was fill with all sorts of dark artifacts and creatures that needed exterminating. Nico listened intently as we walked over to the breakfast table. Ron and I helped set the table since Mrs.Weasley no longer trusted the twins to do it without magic. Nico had tried to help but Mrs.Weasley insisted that he should rest for a bit before breakfast. I had to admit, she kind of had a point, the guy looked dead on his feet. He staggered into a chair and turned towards Sirius.

" Sirius Black? Mass murderer? Azkaban escapee? What an honor " he teased

" Charmed I'm sure " Sirius responded in a posh voice that made Ron and I snicker

We all sat down to eat. Me, Hermione,Sirius, the Weasleys, and Nico di Angelo. I observed him as we ate. He mostly pushed his food around despite looking hungry. He seemed to be thinking of something. he had a far off look in his eyes before straightening and turning to Sirius.

" Do you have a fireplace or something? " he asked suddenly

" Uh yeah, why? " 

" Could someone show me where it is? " he ignored Sirius's question

I raised my hand and he nodded at me. We both stood up but Nico picked up his plate and took it with him. We walked in a slightly awkward silence as I fidgeted with my sleeve and Nico examined his food. Once we were near the fireplace he lit a fire and scrapped a little less than half his plate into the flames while muttering something under his breath that sounded something like:

" For Hades "

I gave him an odd look and he explained.

" In my religion we have to sacrifice part of our meals into the fire for the gods. or else bad things will happen. I know it sounds like superstition but we take it very seriously " I nod in understanding as we walked back to the dining room

" By the way would you happen to know where my graham crackers are? I kinda need those " he asked before finally shoving some eggs in his mouth

" I'm not sure, you'll have to ask an Order member " he hummed in acknowledgement

" Order of the Phoenix, you're not a part of it? " I sighed and nodded

" I'm still underage, they think we're too young " we sat back down at the table while ignoring the strange looks being sent at us

" Their decision " he shrugged

I decided that Nico di Angelo was strange, but not in a bad way. I still couldn't figure out why I felt so at ease around him either. It was as though we've meet before in a past life or something. Finally when we were done we put the dishes in the kitchen and Nico asked about his graham crackers. Mrs.Weasley gave him an odd look but summoned them anyway and gave them to him. He thanked her and took one out immediately and ate it whole. It must've had some sort of healing properties because he instantly looked better. He had lost the slight sway to his step as though he would fall over at any moment, his skin had also lost the sickly look to it. He was still paler than Draco Malfoy but now it looked, normal. As though it was always like that. We spent the rest of the day trying to make Grimmuald Place livable. We were currently looking through a cabinet filled with what looked to be dark artifacts. Sirius was currently holding a locket with an ornate green S imprinted on it. It looked rather pretty but wouldn't open no matter how much we tried. He passed it to Lupin, who passed it to Mrs.Weasley, who passed it to Tonks and so on and so forth. Ron gave me the locket and I tried to pry it open. I got an odd feeling from it, a strange sort of chill. I let out a breath and gave it to Nico. He took it and immediately flung it across the room. We watched it bounce off the wall harmlessly.

" Well that didn't work " Sirius declared

" Guess we'll throw it out then " Lupin shrugged

" Wait, I think I might be able to open it " we all stared at Nico who cleared his throat

" Just give me some time " looks were exchanged but eventually Nico was given the locket

No one but me saw the look of utter disgust on Nico's face as he glared down at the necklace before putting it in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2162 words
> 
> Well that was longer than last time. Let me know what you guys thought of this in the comments, I really enjoy reading them! What house do you think Nico should go in? I'm honestly torn between two of them. Anyway, stay safe, have a great day!
> 
> ~ Tahala


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico doesn't know what to think about that Harry Potter guy and has a chat with Will.

Nico's pov

I hate Tom Riddle. I was staring at the locket/horcrux none of us could open while trying to remember how to destroy one. Eventually I decided I'd take care of it later and put the necklace in my trunk. I collapsed on my temporary bed and stared up at the ceiling to go over all the information I have so far. Harry Potter, son of Lily and James Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, definitely the Chosen One. His two best friends Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Ron had seemed friendly enough, a bit nervous though. Hermione was a bit like Annabeth but I found her kind of annoying. We barely spoke, all she did was watch me like I was a science experiment or something. Sirius Black, one of James' best friends, convicted murder, Harry's godfather, was a dog animagus, would do anything for Harry, and had a great sense of humor. There were several other members of the Order of the Phoenix though I still haven't met their leader, Albus Dumbledore. Harry and the others said that he was probably very busy and wouldn't be able to visit very often. I frowned as I thought of the Chosen One. There was definitely something abnormal about him. Even for a wizard. Firstly, there was a trace of Riddle's soul in him too, though he doesn't seem to notice. That meant that Harry was a horcrux and he'd need to die in order for him to kill Riddle. A bit of a paradox but I'll figure that out later. Second, I always got the oddest feeling around Harry. It was as though I'd known him for years. Despite trying hard to be strictly polite and secretive around everyone until I could be sure who I could trust, I always seemed to relax around the Boy-Who-Lived. It was very odd. I was almost as open with him as I was with some of my friends back home. However I wasn't stupid and though we were friendly with each other, we've only known each other for two days and I was unconscious for one of them. Finally above all, was the power I could feel radiating off of Harry. He was definitely stronger than Ron and Hermione, and even stronger than most of the Order members I've seen. Even so, I still sensed that he was hiding a potion of his power. There was more to him, I could tell, but I couldn't gauge his power range exactly. I groaned. Why was this boy so difficult? Speak of the devil, I felt the sharp quick bursts of Harry Potter's power nearing the room before he threw open the door and grinned at me.

" Sleeping again? You just woke up " he teased

" Shut it Shorty " I chucked a pillow at him and he laughed

" I'm taller than you "

" By like an inch or two! Ron's a freaking skyscraper so you can't talk! " he rolled his eyes and chucked the pillow back at me

I tried to scowl but couldn't. Why did this guy feel so familiar? I was acting as though I was fooling around with Leo and Percy. True Harry did look a bit like Percy, with the messy black hair and green eyes, they even shared some personality traits. other than that however I shouldn't be this comfortable around him. I could tell that he thought I was his long lost friend or something as well, otherwise he wouldn't be so comfortable. Around just about everyone he seemed closed off from the world, not trusting completely. Even around Ron and Hermione he carried the wariness of someone who's seen too much and wish he wasn't around to witness anymore. However when around me, he'd lose that guarded look, his muscles would loosen, it was like getting home after a fight. His eyes keep that haunted look though, he was still hiding things, he was just a little less careful, a little more trusting, and I didn't have a clue. The bespectacled boy stared at me as though saying: 'do your worst!' Of course I wasn't going to do that because he'd die, but I was going to start throwing things. I grabbed the blanket and threw it, grinning as it draped over Harry. he ripped it off and picked up a shoe and aimed for my head. I dodged and it bounced off the wall. I reached for the closest thing, which just so happened to be a book, and put as much force as possible into my swing. He caught it when it was inches away from his face. I was mildly impressed by his reflexes.

" Good reflexes " I say

" Thanks, I guess I need to be quick if I'm going to be a Seeker "

" What's a Seeker " I ask sitting down

" You don't have Quidditch in America? " he gave me a puzzled look and I shook my head

" Well, it's a sort of sport played in the air on broomsticks " I have lost interest

He continued to explain the game passionately with hands flying around and a wide grin on his face. It seems that Seeker is the position Harry plays on the school Quidditch team. I asked him and he said he played on one of the teams. I was now confused again.

" How many teams does Hogwarts have? "

" Four, one for each house " he said sitting across from me and fiddling with a pen in his hands

" House? " 

" There are four different houses, each student is sorted into a specific house based on their character. Gryffindor for the brave and chivalrous, Slytherin for the ambitious and cunning, Ravenclaw for the clever and quick-witted, and finally Hufflepuff for the loyal and kind " he finished with a vague air of sadness towards Hufflepuff and distaste towards Slytherin, weird.

" How do we get sorted? " I question

He taps the pen against his knee.

" There's an enchanted hat called the Sorting Hat that you put on and it looks into your mind. Don't worry though, only you and the hat will know what's going on and it doesn't tell anyone what it sees " he reassures me at the look on my face

I sigh in relief. There were a lot of things I didn't want people to know about. My demigodness, my Son-of-Hadesness, Bianca, the Lotus hotel, my life in Italy, my relationship with Will, the Pit. Man I'm a ray of positivity, I can see where Will got the nickname 'Sunshine' from. Great now I'm even being sarcastic with myself. Shut it me! Oh no I'm talking to myself now. I guess I left my sanity down there anyway. Oh well, pft sanity, who needs that. Harry had a concerned look on his face.

" You alright Mate? " 'Mate' huh? that's like a friend? British.

" I'm good "I waved him off

" Cool, so uh, my hearing's tomorrow " he held the pen in one hand and rubbed the back of his neck with there other

I nodded. They've told me about Harry's case. I personally thought it was stupid. I mean obviously he saved himself and his Muggle cousin, who by the way already knew about magic.

" I was wondering if you'd like to come with me and Mr.Weasley, to the hearing. You seem like you know your stuff, and you'd be able to check out the Ministry " he asked his voice hopeful

Dang it Potter. You've found my weakness. Finding out my enemies' weaknesses. I desperately wanted more knowledge about the Wizarding World. If I could get into their government. Yep I had no choice.

" Alright, but please tell me you're going to do something about your hair. it's a rat's nest " he glared at me and tried (and failed) to flatten his hair

He thanked me and went downstairs to find the other two-thirds of his so called 'Golden Trio'. I found the name amusing. Once Harry was gone I got up grabbed some drachmas and walked to the bathroom. I locked the door and spent a good 5 minutes trying to make a rainbow. When I had finally succeeded I grabbed a drachma. 

" O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering and show me Will Solace at Camp Half-Blood " I said my prayer in Ancient Greek just in case someone was listening in

There was a bright light as my drachma disappeared and the shimmering image of Will Solace appeared. I shouted out in Ancient Greek

" Will! " he looked up and gave a smile bright enough to rival his father

" Nico! How are you? Was the trip okay? " he replied in the same language

" I'm good, I only passed out for a few hours. I'm able to shadow travel across oceans much easier now that I'm not carrying a 40 foot goddess with me " I grin

He laughs and my heart malfunctions like one of Leo's gadgets.

" That's good to know, what about the wizards? Are you playing nice? " he smirked while scribbling something down on his clipboard

" Of course! I'm great with people, they haven't even run away screaming yet. I call this an accomplishment " I cross my arms proudly

" Then I'd hate to see a failure " his sapphire blue eyes shone with mirth

" How's camp, any troubles? " he waves a hand

" The monsters seemed to have gone on vacation, we've barely seen any. There was a particularly violent game of capture the flag last night but aside from that things have been quiet " he puts his clipboard down

" That's good to hear. By the way, I'm going to a hearing tomorrow " Will shook his head

" How many laws have you broken? Are they severe? Do you need me to bail you out of jail? " I laughed

" No manichino not me, Harry Potter " he looked confused

" Who? "

I explained the whole situation to him. He didn't seem very anxious to meet the dementors.

" That's ridiculous. he was defending himself and his cousin! They can't expel him for that! " he exclaimed

" I know, but the Ministry hates Harry at the moment. They don't believe that Riddle's returned, they're calling him a liar " Will whistled lowly

" I do not envy that guy. Anyway, good luck with your friend Nico, but what are you gonna do if he does get expelled? You'll still need to protect him " I considered this

" Probably send him to camp where he'll be safe and I can still attend Hogwarts to gather information " he nods

" Alright, anyway I think I've gotta go now. Talk to you soon? " 

" Of course bye "

" Bye Neeks, love you " he says with a soft smile

" Love you too " I say absentmindedly as I swiped a hand through the mist

It took me a few second to process what had just happened. Did he say-? And did I say-? Holy schist, I am not going to be able to focus on this quest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1828 words
> 
> Manichino - dummy in Italian
> 
> Yeah this was mostly filler and exposition but I have to build this stuff up. Leave a comment to let me know what you think, or just to say hi! I am dreadfully bored and would love to talk to you. Stay safe, love you!
> 
> ~ Tahala


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go to a hearing

Harry's pov

It was the day of my hearing. I was dressed in some semi-formal clothes. A white button down shirt, black pants and shoes, and a gray jacket. I picked at a piece of toast while Mrs.Weasley attacked my messy hair with a wet comb.

" Does it ever lie flat? " she asked, obviously annoyed

I shook my head and she sighed and walked over to Mr.Weasley and straighten his tie. We were taking the London underground to the Ministry entrance so we needed to wear Muggle clothing. Nico was sitting at the far end of the table, trying to get as far from everyone as possible. The Weasley twins would try to include him in the conversation every once in a while but his answers were short and to the point, obviously not wanting to partake in small talk. I wasn't completely sure why I wanted him to come to the hearing, though he did seem pretty clever and it would be good for him to see what the Ministry was like. A bunch of cowards. However, I'll let him decide his own opinion. He seemed a bit more closed off, as though he was thinking hard about something and refused to be bothered. He also wore Muggle attire, a dark gray shirt with black jeans and a brown aviator jacket. He seemed better at disguising himself than other wizards I've seen so I'd assume he was either Muggle-born or half-blood. Besides the deadly sword at his side I'm sure muggles would walk right past him on the street.

" Alright, you boys ready to go? " Mr.Weasley asked

We both nodded and followed him out of Grimmuald's place once we've (I've) said our goodbyes. 

We walked down into the subway which both Mr.Weasley and Nico seemed baffled at. I had thought Nico might've been a muggle-born by the way he dressed (and the fact that he carries a sword no one talks about) but now I'm starting to think he might possibly be a pureblood, (can't rule out half-blood though) if he doesn't even know how a telephone works. Even Mr.Weasley knew how to dial the number. Though granted it was a bit old fashioned considering some of the technology muggles used now. A cool female voice was heard though the telephone box though it wasn't clear where it came from.

" Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, please state your name and business " 

" Arthur Weasley, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, here to escort Harry Potter, who has been asked to attend a disciplinary hearing, and his friend Nico di Angelo who came to accompany him"

" Thank you, " said the cool female voice " Visitors, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes "

There was a click and a rattle, and I saw something slide out of the metal chute where returned coins usually appeared. Two square shaped silver badges emerged and I took both and looked at them. One said Harry Potter, Disciplinary Hearing, and the other said Nico di Angelo, Company. Nico took his and pinned it to his jacket while I pinned mine to my t-shirt. The female voice spoke again.

" Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium "

The floor of the telephone box shuddered. They were sinking slowly into the ground. I watched apprehensively as the pavement rose up past the glass windows of the telephone box until dark- ness closed over their heads. For a second I couldn't see anything at all, I could only hear a dull grinding noise, and Nico's quick short breathes. After about a minute, though it felt much longer, a chink of golden light illuminated our feet and, widening, rose up our bodies, until it hit me in the face and I had to blink to stop my eyes from watering.

" The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day, " said the woman's voice.

The door of the telephone box sprang open and Mr. Weasley stepped out of it, followed by me and Nico. My mouth had fell open. We were standing at one end of a very long and splendid hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor. The peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that were continually moving and chang- ing like some enormous heavenly notice board. The walls on each side were paneled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them. Every few seconds a witch or wizard would emerge from one of the left-hand fireplaces with a soft whoosh; on the right-hand side, short queues of wizards were forming before each fireplace, waiting to depart. Halfway down the hall was a fountain. A group of golden statues, larger than life-size, stood in the middle of a circular pool. Tallest of them all was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointing straight up in the air. Grouped around him were a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. The last three were all looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard. Glittering jets of water were flying from the ends of the two wands, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and each of the house-elf's ears, so that the tinkling hiss of falling water was added to the pops and cracks of Apparators and the clatter of footsteps as hundreds of witches and wizards, most of whom were wearing glum, early-morning looks, strode toward a set of golden gates at the far end of the hall.

" This way, " said Mr. Weasley

I tore my gaze away from the magnificent Atrium and strode after him while Nico's eyes swept over the hall indifferently and shrugged. 

" It's nice, but I've seen better " 

I rolled my eyes 

" Of course you have, care to elaborate " I ask, genuinely curious

" Nope " he said popping the p

" Not surprised Mr. Mystery " he held back a laugh

" Mr. Mystery? I can tell Hermione is the brains of your trio " he smirked

" Hey! Ron and I are clever in our own right " I glare at him good-naturedly

" I never said you weren't, she just kind of remind me of An- another girl I know. No offense, but I like her better than Hermione. She doesn't seem to like me very much "

I opened my mouth to reply but was cut off by Mr.Weasley who gently pulled us aside.

" Over here boys " he said and walked them towards a desk on the left, over which hung a sign saying _security_. A badly shaven wizard in peacock-blue robes looked up as they approached and put down his Daily Prophet.

" I'm escorting two visitors "

" Step over here, " said the wizard in a bored voice.

I walked closer to him and the wizard held up a long golden rod, thin and flexible as a car aerial, and passed it up and down my front and back. He then did the same thing to Nico who looked rather disgruntled.

" Wands " grunted the security wizard 

Nico and I both took out our wands and he took them. He placed Nico's on a counter while he put mine on a strange brass instrument, which looked something like a set of scales with only one dish. It began to vibrate. A narrow strip of parchment came speeding out of a slit in the base. The wizard tore this off and read the writing upon it.

"Eleven inches, holly, phoenix-feather core, been in use four years. That correct?"

" Yes " I said nervously

" I keep this, " said the wizard, impaling the slip of parchment on a small brass spike. " You get this back, " he added, thrusting the wand at me.

" Thank you. "

he then placed Nico's wand on the scale, the same thing happened and he read off the piece of paper.

" Twelve inches, ash, thestral hair core, been in use for two days, two days? " he asked

He twisted the silver skull ring on his finger sheepishly

" I broke my old one a few days ago, I just got a new one " the security wizard nodded and gave Nico his wand back

Thestral hair? I've never heard of that core before. What even _is_ a thestral? The wizard was putting away his receipts when he suddenly stared up at me.

" Hang on. . . " said the wizard slowly.  
His eyes had darted from the silver visitor's badge on my's chest to my forehead. I didn't like where this was going 

" Thank you, Eric, " said Mr. Weasley firmly, and grasping me and Nico each by the shoulder, he steered us away from the desk and back into the stream of wizards and witches walking through the golden gates.

Jostled slightly by the crowd, we followed Mr. Weasley through the gates into the smaller hall beyond, where at least twenty lifts stood behind wrought golden grilles.We joined the crowd around one of them. A big, bearded wizard holding a large cardboard box stood nearby. The box was emitting rasping noises.

" All right, Arthur? " said the wizard, nodding at Mr. Weasley.

" What've you got there, Bob? " asked Mr. Weasley, looking at the box.

For some reason Nico flinched at this. I gave him a concerned look but he brushed me off.

" We're not sure, " said the wizard seriously. " We thought it was a bog-standard chicken until it started breathing fire. Looks like a serious breach of the Ban on Experimental Breeding to me. "

With a great jangling and clattering a lift descended in front of them; the golden grille slid back and we moved inside it with the rest of the crowd. I found myself jammed against the back wall of the lift. Several witches and wizards were looking at me curiously; I stared at my feet to avoid catching anyone's eye, flattening my fringe as I did so. The grilles slid shut with a crash and the lift ascended slowly, chains rattling all the while, while the same cool female voice we heard in the telephone box rang out again. We passed several floors until it was only Mr.Weasley, Nico, and I in the lift. Nico looked pleased and queasy at the same time.

"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."

"This is us," said Mr. Weasley, and we followed him out of the lift into a corridor lined with doors. "My office is on the other side of the floor."

"Mr. Weasley," Nico said, as they passed a window through which sunlight was streaming, "aren't we underground?"

"Yes, we are," said Mr. Weasley, "those are enchanted windows; Magical Maintenance decide what weather we're getting every day. We had two months of hurricanes last time they were angling for a pay raise. . . Just round here."

We turned a corner, walked through a pair of heavy oak doors, and emerged in a cluttered, open area divided into cubicles, which were buzzing with talk and laughter. Memos were zooming in and out of cubicles like miniature rockets. A lopsided sign on the nearest cubicle read _auror headquarters._

I looked surreptitiously through the doorways as they passed. The Aurors had covered their cubicle walls with everything from pictures of wanted wizards and photographs of their families, to posters of their favorite Quidditch teams and articles from the Daily Prophet. A scarlet-robed man with a ponytail longer than Bill's was sitting with his boots up on his desk, dictating a report to his quill. A little farther along, a witch with a patch over her eye was talking over the top of her cubicle wall to Kingsley Shacklebolt.

" Morning, Weasley, " said Kingsley carelessly, as they drew nearer. " I've been wanting a word with you, have you got a second? "

" Yes, if it really is a second, " said Mr. Weasley, " I'm in rather a hurry. "

They were talking to each other as though they hardly knew each other, and when I opened his mouth to say hello to Kingsley, Mr. Weasley stood on my foot. They followed Kingsley along the row and into the very last cubicle.

I received a slight shock; Sirius's face was blinking down at us from every direction. Newspaper cuttings and old photographs— even the one of Sirius being best man at the my parents' wedding — papered the walls. The only Sirius-free space was a map of the world in which little red pins were glowing like jewels.

"Here," said Kingsley brusquely to Mr. Weasley, shoving a sheaf of parchment into his hand, "I need as much information as possible on flying Muggle vehicles sighted in the last twelve months. We've received information that Black might still be using his old motorcycle."

Kingsley tipped me an enormous wink and added, in a whisper, "Give him the magazine, he might find it interesting." Then he said in normal tones, "And don't take too long, Weasley, the delay on that firelegs report held our investigation up for a month."

"If you had read my report you would know that the term is 'firearms,' " said Mr. Weasley coolly. "And I'm afraid you'll have to wait for information on motorcycles, we're extremely busy at the moment." He dropped his voice and said, "If you can get away before seven, Molly's making meatballs."

He beckoned to us and led us out of Kingsley's cubicle, through a second set of oak doors, into another passage, turned left, marched along another corridor, turned right into a dimly lit and distinctly shabby corridor, and finally reached a dead end, where a door on the left stood ajar, revealing a broom cupboard, and a door on the right bore a tarnished brass plaque reading _misuse of muggle artifacts._ We were nowin Mr.Weasley's cramped office, listening to him as he explained something about regurgitating toilets when suddenly a stooped, timid-looking old wizard with fluffy white hair entered the room, panting.

" Oh Arthur! " he said desperately, without looking at me or Nico. "Thank goodness, I didn't know what to do for the best, whether to wait here for you or not, I've just sent an owl to your home but you've obviously missed it — an urgent message came ten minutes ago —"

"I know about the regurgitating toilet," said Mr. Weasley.

"No, no, it's not the toilet, it's the Potter boy's hearing — they've changed the time and venue — it starts at eight o'clock now and it's down in old Courtroom Ten —"

"Down in old — but they told me — Merlin's beard —"

Mr. Weasley looked at his watch, let out a yelp, and leapt from his chair.

"Quick, boys, we should have been there five minutes ago!"

Perkins flattened himself against the filing cabinets as Mr. Weasley left the office at a run, Nico and I on his heels.

"Why have they changed the time?" I said breathlessly as we hurtled past the Auror cubicles; people poked out their heads and stared as they streaked past. I felt as though I had left all his insides back at Perkins's desk.

"I've no idea, but thank goodness we got here so early, if you'd missed it it would have been catastrophic!"

Mr. Weasley skidded to a halt beside the lifts and jabbed impatiently at the down button.

"Come ON!"

The lift clattered into view and we hurried inside. Every time it stopped Mr. Weasley cursed furiously and pummelled the number nine button.

"Those courtrooms haven't been used in years," said Mr. Weasley angrily. "I can't think why they're doing it down there — unless — but no . . ."

" Did they do this on purpose? If so then that doesn't look very professional on their part " Nico said with a distasteful look on his face

" Not sure, though we can worry about that later.

"The Atrium," said the cool female voice and the golden grilles slid open, showing us a distant glimpse of the golden statues in the fountain. A sallow-skinned wizard with a very mournful face got in.

"Morning, Arthur," he said in a sepulchral voice as the lift began to descend. "Don't often see you down here. . . ."

"Urgent business, Bode," said Mr. Weasley, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet and throwing anxious looks over at me.

"Ah, yes," said Bode, surveying me unblinkingly and looking curiously at Nico. "Of course."

I barely had emotion to spare for Bode, but his unfaltering gaze did not make me feel any more comfortable.

"Department of Mysteries," said the cool female voice, and left it at that.

"Quick, Harry, Nico" said Mr. Weasley as the lift doors rattled open, and they sped up a corridor that was quite different from those above. The walls were bare; there were no windows and no doors apart from a plain black one set at the very end of the corridor. I expected to go through it, but instead Mr. Weasley seized me by the arm and dragged me to the left, Nico turning just as sharply, where there was an opening leading to a flight of steps.

"Down here, down here," panted Mr. Weasley, taking two steps at a time. "The lift doesn't even come down this far . . . why they're do- ing it there . . ."

We reached the bottom of the steps and ran along yet another corridor, which bore a great resemblance to that which led to Snape's dungeon at Hogwarts, with rough stone walls and torches in brackets. The doors they passed here were heavy wooden ones with iron bolts and keyholes.

"Courtroom . . . ten . . . I think . . . we're nearly . . . yes."

Mr. Weasley stumbled to a halt outside a grimy dark door with an immense iron lock and slumped against the wall, clutching at a stitch in his chest. On the contrary Nico looked like he enjoyed out brief marathon.

"Go on," he panted, pointing his thumb at the door. "Get in there."

"Aren't — aren't you coming with — ?"

" We can't go in? "

"No, no, we're not allowed. Good luck!"

My heart seemed to be trying to leap out of my chest.

I swallowed hard, turned the heavy iron door handle, and stepped inside the courtroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione does some snooping and makes bad excuses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for missing last Friday! The personal life was being very annoying. I'll still be posting this Friday too and I promise I'll try my best to keep to my schedule from now on. Thanks for being patient!

Hermione's pov 

If I wasn't suspicious of Nico di Angelo before, then I definitely was now. I was currently in the room he shared with Ron and Harry to try and find out more about him and I couldn't believe what I'd found. A small black journal hidden away at the very bottom of his trunk told me exactly what I needed to know. Towards the middle of the book, written neatly in English were a few scattered words and groups of letters.

_Find....Harry Potter.... Befreind.... Tom Riddle.... Get rid of him....Gain his trust.....Kill....Potter? Detsroy Locket.... More?.... Granger supsisus....Use Mist if comes to it..._

He wanted to kill Harry. He must've been some pureblood fan boy of You-Know-Who and wanted to join him by taking out his mortal enemy. However I had even more questions now. Why would he destroy that locket? It seemed to be expensive. More what? What is this 'Mist'? Why can't he spell? He knows I'm suspicious, what would he do to me if he found out I knew his secret? Should I tell the Order? We all felt the dark magic radiate off him, Harry for some reason didn't mind and actually liked him and the two black haired boys became fast friends. A little two fast. Was Di Angelo manipulating him somehow? If not then how would Harry feel if he found out he was a Death Eater. He'd be devastated that someone he though was his new friend turned out to be a traitor out for his blood. I copied what he wrote onto a bit of parchment and put the journal back in it's place. I decided that since I started the race I might as well finish it. I continued to rummage through his trunk and found another book but this looked quite old. It had writing on the front in a strange language that I couldn't identify. I opened it and was met with an old looking black and white photo.

It seemed to be a family photo of sorts, and wasn't a wizarding photo since it didn't move, not to mention was withered at the edges. There was a tall regal looking man dressed in a fancy suit, with long dark hair and even darker eyes. He had a small smile which was surprising because he didn't seem like the smiling type. Next to him was a beautiful woman who also had dark hair and eyes though her face was softer and warmer, definitely smiled more than her husband. In front of the couple were two children, the older one a girl, and the younger one a boy. They were both grinning, sitting very close together, the girl had an arm on her brother's shoulders and the boy wrapped both of his arms around his sister.

They must have been Nico's ancestors or something. I flipped to the next page, the brother and sister were there without their parents this time and looked even closer than before. This picture however was in color. Both of the children had olive skin tones and brown eyes, though the girl's eyes were lighter the boys were just as bright and more innocent. The girl's hair was wavy and dark brown, hidden slightly under a floppy green hat. The boy's curls were jet black and wild, though they looked smooth. They were smiling without a care in the world, as though nothing could go wrong. How could the same people be in a black and white photo and a colored photo? They barely look any older too. I waved it off. Maybe the first photo had some sort of filter, why did it look so old then? I shook my head and turned to the next page of the book. I heard scuffling and shouting from downstairs. The Weasley twins must've done some sort of prank. There was another colored picture of the boy alone. He was smiling though it looked slightly forced. He was wearing a bright orange shirt with more strange writing on it. There was something sad about his face, where was his sister? I got my answer on the next page.

There was the sister with a bunch of other girls, smiling and laughing, looking much happier than in the previous picture. I frowned slightly. She was happy after leaving her younger brother? I was going to look at the next page when the room temperature plummeted and all light was sucked out of the air. I whipped around and saw the silhouette of Nico di Angelo in the faint light of the lamp. He looked furious.

" What. Are. You. Doing? " he forced out through gritted teeth

" I-i- well, um "

" Hermione why'd you dig through Nico's stuff? " a blunt voice cut in

I looked next to Nico to see Harry who was frowning at me like a disappointed parent. I felt a flare of anger. Why was he siding with him? I was trying to help him and di Angelo was plotting his death.

" Answer me! " di Angelo shouted the order as though he was used to doing so

I shivered lightly as the room got so cold I could see my own breath. Accidental magic at our age? Well he was rather small he could be younger.

" I did it because, because... " I racked my brain for an excuse, I should've planned for this

" Because what? " he questioned harshly his hand trailing down to something on his waist

Harry's eyes widened and he grabbed his hand. di Angelo flinched harshly and turned his glare on him. Harry muttered something to him and I saw a flicker of surprise before he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms again. That was an odd interaction. An idea suddenly hit me.

" I have a crush on you! " I yelled out

" What?! " they both exclaim

The room abruptly returned to its normal temperature and the light seems to return to highlight the pink dusting on di Angelo's face and the shock written across Harry's. I quickly tried to gather my thoughts during their shock. 

" I'm sorry, that's not really an excuse but I wanted to know what sort of things you were into and you don't really seem to talk to anyone but Harry and um yeah " I finished rather lamely

" Well I- uh, understand I guess. People do crazy things for their crushes " he trailed off and looked to the side as though speaking from experience

He cleared his throat and continued

" Anyway Hermione, I'm sorry, I already have someone, " his voice was surprisingly gentle and apologetic, a master actor " just uh, don't rummage around my stuff again " his voice became a bit more stern and I nodded

" I understand, I'm sure that your girlfriend is lucky to have you " I say shyly

A strange emotion flickered across his face before smoothing into an impassive mask.

" Yes, thank you, now if you'll excuse us, Harry and I have a few things to talk about " Harry gave him a look like _'we do?'_

A held back a snicker before nodding to him and quickly leaving the room. The door closed behind me and I ran to the room I shared with Ginny. Once I made it, I sat down on my bed and grabbed the book I was reading earlier.

 _A History of European Wizarding Families by Florean Rabnott_ ( **not a real person/book)**

I flipped to the chapter I left off on and started reading again.

_ Italian Wizarding Families 1920-2020 _

_One famous wizarding family from Italy is the Di Angelo line. However there it went extinct in the 1920s with the last known member being Maria di Angelo. Evidence shows however that Ms.Angelo met another wizard from Greece and had two children with him, a daughter and a son. However there are no records of Ms. Angelo getting married or having children, and in those times it was quite shameful to have children before marriage so most historians are sure that these rumors are just that, rumors._

I knew his last name sounded familiar, but if Maria di Angelo was the last one in her family, then how could he be related to her? Unless those rumors were true and she did have children with that could've continued the family line. I sighed and closed the book. This whole situation made no sense. There was only one way to get information from di Angelo now. I'd have to pretend to be his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1424 words
> 
> Gods forbid Hermione actually has to make other friends instead of hanging around Harry and Ron all the time. Anyway let me know what you guys think in the comments, leave a vote if you were expecting Hermione to find all the answers in a book as per usual. Is there anyone's pov you want to see? A certain event you want to see? If you can tell me I'll try to make it happen. Stay safe and have great day! Love you all!
> 
> ~Tahala


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talk about weapons and a visit to Gringotts.

Nico's pov

Hermione Granger telling me she had a crush on me was an awkward experience, and trust me, I know awkward experiences. I stared at the now closed door until Harry cleared his throat.

" Don't we have a lot to talk about? " he asks with a small grin

I smile back hesitantly and nod. We sit across from each other on our respective beds. I take out my sword and hold it in front of him. He reached out a hand but I stopped it.

" You can see my sword? " I ask

" Yeah, am I not supposed too? No one else seems to see it " I nod again

" It's a special sort of " I searched for the correct wizarding term when a word drifted lazily to the front of my mind "glamor, that most people can't see through, people who can see through it aren't unheard of though " I add 

He stared at my sword in awe with a hint of confusion. He looked up at me again.

" Why'd you stop me from touching it? " I sucked in breath

How do I explain to a mortal, a wizard but a mortal nonetheless, that I carry a sword that will absorb the life force of anyone who touches it.

" Um well, it's a specialized sword with a sort of curse on it. If anyone besides me uses it, or even touches it, it'll kind of um, suck up their soul " I give him an awkward grin 

His bottle green eyes widened and he stared at me for a few moments.

" Like dementors? " he finally asked

Dementors? Like the things my dad had in the Fields of Punishment? The wizard definition suddenly appeared in my head. Hecate's blessing thing is pretty useful. If I didn't have I probably would've looked either really dumb or really suspicious. 

" Yep pretty much, though it only works if you touch it. Don't touch it " I say seriously

He gulped.

" Trust me, I have enough experience dementors to know that I don't want to be on the other end of that " he pointed at my sword

" Why do you carry a sword anyway? " I quickly learned that Harry was very curious

" At my other school, in America, we focus more on physical self defense than the kind of magic you guys learn. We learn how to fight with weapons in case we are ever without our wands " 

He hummed in acknowledgement before nodding.

" Your school has a point. I don't think anyone's tried sticking a sword through You-Know-Who, the Ministry should try that instead of trying to cover up his return " I snorted, Harry and Percy would get along only too well

" I'll put it on my agenda " I do make a mental note of that, my sword should be able to destroy horcruxes

" Could you add something else to that agenda of yours? " he asked with a sly grin though his eyes darted around like he was nervous " 

" What might that be Potter? " 

" Could you um, teach me how to sword fight? " wasn't expecting that one

" Alright, but quick question of my own, why do you guys call Tom Riddle 'You-Know-Who' " Harry looked surprised

" Well people are really afraid of him but I usually call him but his normal title. I'm surprised you know his birth name though, not many people do " 

" What is his title " I was curious as to what Riddle called himself these days

" Voldemort " 

Was he serious? 

" I'm sorry, did you say 'Voldemort' " I say trying not to laugh

" Yes? What of it? "

I felt a smile creep up my face. I snickered before bursting into laughter. What a ridiculous name! He must've really hated his original name to change to that. 

" Why is that so funny? " Harry seemed confused

" I-it's t-the st-stupidest n-name e-ever! D-do you realize h-how many th-things that rhymes with? " I choke out in between laughs

I wheeze and bent over.

" Moldy shorts! " I vaguely hear Harry chuckling

" Anyway, I'm going down to dinner, you coming? " I nodded, catching my breath

We walked downstairs and Harry immediately walked over to Ron who started talking to him about how him and Hermione became something called 'Prefects'. I vaguely recognized them as some sort of leaders of their house but didn't care. The rest of the summer was relatively uneventful except for our trip to Diagon Alley. 

I went with Mrs.Weasley, Harry, Ron, and Hermione to a street with a bunch of wizard stores where I guessed they bought all their school stuff. We first went to the wizard bank, some place called Gringotts. Apparently it's run by goblins, cool. Mrs.Weasley gave the goblin her key and Harry's before turning to me.

" Do you have a key Dear? " she asked kindly

" Uh, I think " I dug around in my pockets and found an envelope 

I took it out and found a key inside it. I gave it to the goblin. He gave me a strange look before examining my key. His eyes widened and he nodded swiftly.

" Follow me " he walked away and gestured for us to come 

He took us to a cart and we all piled in. 

" Hang on " he said dully

He pulled a lever and we start plummeting into the ground. It was like one of those crazy amusement park rides but underground.I made a face as a bunch of numbers appeared in my head telling me where we were, changing with every move the cart made. This always happened underground, it's even worse with Hazel. Our senses were sharper underground because of our Father, similar to how Percy has perfect bearings on sea. Thanks for the headache, Dad. The cart suddenly lurched to a stop outside a giant door. I blinked rapidly as the goblin climbed out and did some weird goblin-y magic to open the door. 

There was a huge pile of gold, bronze, and silver inside the vault. Harry leapt out of the cart and quickly started shoving random coins into a bag. I didn't pay him much attention. I frowned in concentration. Now that we were still I could feel all the things around us. For one, there were a lot of vaults and the things wizards kept, honestly. Precious metals, gems, enchanted objects, including a horcrux a few hundred feet below us. I leaned over the side of the cart and stared down at the darkness below. 

This made two horcruxes so far, the locket and whatever was in Gringotts. I grinned, maybe I'd be done with this quest quicker than I thought.

" You alright? " I turn to Ron who was looking at me while Harry got back in the cart

" Yeah, just can't believe how deep down this goes. It was different in the States "

" I guess, speaking of the U.S, what school did you go to there? I've heard of Ilvermorny from my dad, but I don't know any others "

Yikes, ignoring the question would be suspicious but I can't say I went to that other place in case they ask me questions about it. I already told Harry I went to a mainly combat school anyway. I quickly thought of a made up name.

" It's called, Delphi's Academy of Magic " I reply casually

Hermione looked at me oddly.

" I'm a bit more well versed in American schools than _Ronald_ , and I don't think I've ever heard of that school " Ron grumbled when she said his full name

" It's a private school, you can only get in if your parents signed you up from birth. It's very prestigious and very well hidden, even from magic society " she looked intrigued at this

I felt like she was going to ask more questions until the cart started again and we traveled even deeper underground. I held out a hand to stop Hermione from talking and closed my eyes as the numbers reappeared full force. Did I mention I hated math? We stopped again at a significantly deeper vault. I focused for a moment and noticed the horcrux was above us now, how annoying, 

" Sir, your vault " I opened my eyes and saw the goblin gesturing for me to get out of the cart 

I climbed out and walked over to the door. It was pitch black with ornate gold and silver decor all over. In the center was a picture of my father's helm. I sighed. Very low key Dad, nicely done. The goblin pointed at the door and I hesitated before pushing it open. There was a bunch of clicking as the door unlocked and eventually swung open. I heard a sight gasp from Hermione

" Bloody hell! "

" Woah "

" Seriously Dad? Why am I not surprised? "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1514 words
> 
> Thanks for reading! Again mostly filer, I wanted to add more but it was getting awfully long. School is finally over so I should have more time to write. Theoretically. Hope you enjoyed, leave me a comment letting me know what you think and I'll see you next time. Love you!
> 
> ~ Tahala


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades shows off his riches while Ron tries to get to know the elusive Nico di Angelo

Ron's pov **( I love Ron!)**

It's times like this where I hate being poor. I stared as the vault opened revealing a fortune of money even bigger than Harry's. Piles of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. There was even jewelry, priceless gems, who was this kid? I heard Hermione gasp.

" Bloody hell! " I exclaimed before I could stop myself

Harry mumbled a " Woah " 

" Seriously Dad? Why am I not surprised? " Nico crossed his arms and huffed

He turned back to us sheepishly.

" Sorry, about all of this " he gestured vaguely at the vault " Father likes to show off " he glared at the mountain of money

" It's alright, not your fault. So does this mean you're pureblood? " I ask tentatively

He blinks for a moment, looking confused until he seemed to understand and he shook his head.

" No, I'm a half-blood, my father is a powerful pureblood wizard, and my mother was a muggle " he replied simply 

I took note of how he said _was_.

" Um, the currency in America is different, what are these? " Nico asked picking up a Galleon

I got out of the cart and walked over to him.

" The golden ones are Galleons, there are 17 Sickles, those silver ones, to a Galleon, and those bronze ones are Knuts, 29 Knuts to a Sickle " he blinked at me

" I'm bad at math " he muttered

" Then just grab a ton of everything " I shrug

" Sounds like a plan, there's other stuff in here though " he glanced around " Don't banks only keep money? "

" Well at Gringotts, some richer, and older wizarding families store things besides money, like family heirlooms, jewelry, and other valuable things " he nodded thoughtfully

" I'm going to take a look at some of the other stuff in here then, wanna come with? " he turned suddenly to me while also glancing back at Harry and Hermione 

" Oh, um, sure " I give him a hesitant smile and looked at the others who were also climbing out of the cart

" Make it quick kids, we have a lot of things to buy after this " my mom stressed

" We will Mrs.Weasley " 

We walked through Nico's vault as he casually picked up coins and examined them with interest before putting them in his bag. He seemed very used to having an immense amount of wealth, even embarrassed, he mentioned his father. I wanted to know more about Nico di Angelo but he seemed like the secretive type. I tried to start a conversation with him. Unfortunately, only one thing non-personal jumped into my mind.

" Do like Quidditch? " I blurt out

He blinked at me for a few moments before shrugging.

" Never played, or watched a game for that matter " he replied smoothly

" Wait what? You've never played, at all? How come? " he made a face

" Not a fan of flying, nothing good happens with me more than 20 feet off the ground "

Huh, afraid of heights? Wasn't expecting that.

" Alright, but at least you'll be able to watch games at Hogwarts, Harry's on the Gryffindor team " he hummed while nodding

" Sounds cool, as long as both my feet stay on the ground " he looked curiously at a suit of armor before wrinkling his nose and muttering something under his breath in a strange language and turning away from it

I followed him while trying not to be obvious about it. I noticed there was a lot of jewels and gems, not to mention weapons. I wasn't sure why there were weapons.

" Uh Nico, why are there so many swords and stuff in here? "

" Hmm, oh, Father likes to collect them, it interests him how muggles used to fight, he's got a few guns back home too. If you ask me, he's too interested " the corners of his mouth twitched as he picked up a bronze sword and weighed it in his hands before putting it down

" Ha, I get that, my dad loves tinkering with muggle stuff too, it's why he likes his job at the Ministry so much, Head of the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office " I elaborated in case he wasn't sure

He let out a breath of laughter before glancing over at something else and walking towards it. I decided to look at something else. I was pretty surprised at how willing he was to let us just walk around his vault. I honestly wasn't expecting that, it didn't seem like his thing but here we are. It made me consider just how wealthy he was if he let a bunch of strangers wander around his vault without even keeping an eye on us. I was a bit jealous but I tried to ignore it because Nico seemed interesting. 

I wanted to be his friend, he had that same mysterious, curious air around him as Harry did when I first met him. He also had that same sad broken look in his eyes that Harry has. If there's one thing that can say with confidence, it that I like to help people. Not in the same way a hero would, though being friends with Harry has definitely put that in question, people who are hurt emotionally or mentally because that sort of pain is generally overlooked. Harry and Hermione are my best friends, we may not see eye to eye all the time but I would never wish anything bad upon them. 

Not Harry who was like a brother to me and has already suffered so much in 15 years. Not Hermione who I really, really, like, despite our bickering. I may not know Nico di Angelo but he seemed like the type who suffered a lot, I may not have a tragic backstory but I know that being alone and in pain makes things worse. Not to mention he just seemed like a cool bloke. He hit it off quickly with Harry and Hermione seems to be fascinated by him, I wouldn't mind expanding our trio into a quartet. While I was lost in thought I accidentally bumped into Hermione. I was about to apologize but then I realized what she was looking at.

It was a painting. A painting of a woman who looked vaguely familiar though I was sure I've never seen her before in my life. She was pretty, with olive toned skin, curled brown hair, and sparkling brown eyes. I saw Nico and Harry out of the corner of my eye muttering and nudging each other. I saw Harry fidget with something under his shirt before walking over to Hermione and I. Nico froze when he saw the portrait and stared at the woman with the same look Harry had when looking into the Mirror of Erised. His face then scrunched up as though he just met Malfoy and shooed us away from the portrait mumbling something about how he had enough money for a few school supplies. 

Mom looked pleased when we came and quickly ushered us into the cart. Before we knew it we were headed back to Grimmuald Place with trunks packed with everything we needed. Oddly, Nico only bought a few sets of robes and some other random stuff, claiming that he had already gotten everything he needed. The rest of the summer flew by as we quickly found ourselves waking up on September 1st, rushing to get to platform 9 and 3/4 on time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1282 words
> 
> Crappy ending I know but now we'll finally be getting to the good stuff. Buckle up guys because we're going to Hogwarts! Let me know what you think in the comments or by dropping a vote. Thanks for reading, love you, bye!
> 
> ~Tahala


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico faces off against Malfoy and Harry has a panic attack.

Harry's pov

After an eventful morning full of screaming, guards, and Sirius being lectured, we finally pilled on the Hogwarts Express. I got a compartment with Ginny, Nico, Neville, and a Ravenclaw girl named Luna. After an awkward interaction with a plant, my crush, and awkwardness, Ron and Hermione returned from their Prefect duties and gave us some information about the other new Prefects. Ron grabbed a chocolate frog immediately while him and Hermione sat down.

" Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House, " she began

" Guess who's Slytherin Prefect? " Ron said with his eyes closed

" Malfoy " I spat at once, my worst fears confirmed

" And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson " Hermione said viciously " How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll . . .

" Who's Hufflepuff? " I asked.  
" Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, " said Ron thickly.

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione.

" Um, who are those people? " Nico asked from his seat next to Neville, who jumped as though forgetting there was someone next to him

" Malfoy is the foulest git ever " Ron said 

" Pansy's exactly what I called her, a cow, who likes to gossip and spread rumors. The others are just kids we know from our year, but don't really talk to "

"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.

Everyone turned to look at Luna Lovegood, who was gazing un- blinkingly at Ron over the top of The Quibbler. He swallowed his mouthful of Frog.

"Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised.

"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much."

She retreated behind The Quibbler again. Ron stared before continuing

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he told Neville and I, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something. . . ."

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically.

"So you're going to descend to his level?"

"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine."

"For heaven's sake, Ron —"

"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle's low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. "I . . .must . . . not . . . look . . . like . . . a . . . baboon's . . . backside. . . ."

Everyone laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Luna Lovegood. She let out a scream of mirth and laughed so hard that her magazine slipped out of her grasp and onto the floor.

"That was funny!"

"Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron, frowning at her.

Nico snorted which caused us to look at him

" British lingo " he chuckled before tuning us out again, he was good at ignoring people

I must've pulled a Nico because next thing I knew, Luna left looking mildly annoyed, just as Malfoy came in with Crabbe and Goyle. I narrowed my eyes.

" What? " I said before he could say anything

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

Another round of laughter while Malfoy's lip curled

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Malfoy, smirking. " Who are you? " he suddenly asked looking over at Nico

Nico didn't move, his head still leaning on the window.

" Hey! Are you dead? I'm speaking to you! " Nico perked up at the word 'dead' and turned to face Malfoy

His nose wrinkled.

" Who are you? " he asked distastefully

" I just asked you the same thing, I've never seen you before " Malfoy said eying Nico's black Muggle clothes up and down

" Nico di Angelo, now answer me " he said shortly

" Name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy " he paused to gauge Nico's expression

Nico looked unimpressed, and slightly amused. Malfoy didn't like this.

" I don't recognize your surname, a Mud-blood then? " the reaction was instantaneous 

Ron leapt up and took out his wand while I did the same thing. Hermione and Ginny said in unison " Shut up Malfoy! ". Nico managed to look both confused and offended at the same time, until the confusion was gone and was replaced by anger. He pushed past Ron and I and glared at Malfoy.

" Don't act like you're better than me you dirty baffoon! Go stick your pompous self somewhere else Ferret-Face because I'm not having it! " he said jabbing a finger into Malfoy's chest

Crabbe and Goyle squared up but backed away at Nico's piece glare. Malfoy glanced at his bodyguards before giving Nico a dirty look.

" My father will hear about this! " he shouted

" Poor Draco is running to Daddy " he teased, smiling wickedly as Malfoy's face twisted into a look of embarrassment and indignity " I seem to have touched a nerve, now get lost before I make you! " 

With that, the three of them ran off, Nico slammed the door behind them. Ron burst out laughing.

" You really let him have it! How'd you know about the ferret incident? " Nico gave him a look

" What incident? He just looked like a ferret " 

That put a positive spin on the rest of the train ride. We neared Hogwarts and changed into our robes, Nico had a bit of trouble and complained about unpractical bathrobes. That made me wonder what they wore in America, which made me remember that his school focused more on hand to hand combat rather than magic, which reminded me that he said he'd teach me to sword fight, which made me twist the necklace he gave me that was actually a sword that he would use to give me said lessons. I wonder if I things would gone differently in the graveyard if I'd been able to fight without my wand, if I had just been able to move out of the way so we both would've made it it. I felt the familiar twist of guilt in my gut as I remembered the green flash, the damp grass, the searing pain in my scar, Cedric's body hitting the ground.

I swallowed, and closed my eyes, the chattering of the others fading into the background as the compartment suddenly felt too hot and too cold at the same time. I felt someone touch my arm and I stared up at Ron who's face kept going in and out of focus despite the fact that I was wearing my glasses.

" I'm going to get something from the trolley, come with Harry? " I nodded, not trusting my voice

We walked out and towards the engine where the trolley probably was. Ron turned to me.

" You alright mate? You look a little pale "

" I'm fine, I just, needed some air " I said hesitantly

He stared at me for a few seconds.

" You know I've got your back no matter what, right? " he said sincerely

" Of course, and I've got yours " he grins

" Always, now, we should be at Hogwarts soon though so we better hurry " he said speeding up

" Don't get too much or we won't be able to enjoy the feast " I reply, grateful for both the change of subject and the reminder that I had friends who liked me 

" Don't worry, I wouldn't do that to myself " he grinned

I smiled back, mentally berating my mind for going on a tangent that nearly made me descend into crazy land. I pulled myself forcefully back into the present. I watched Ron pick out a few candies, thank the trolley lady, and put the sweets in his pocket before we started jogging back to our compartment. Hogwarts was visible from the window now. I felt myself relax, everything was going to be fine now, I'm finally back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1457 words
> 
> I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to go that route but this story just writes itself sometimes and I just had to include some of Harry's trauma from the graveyard and him and Ron being bros. Everyone writes Ron as though he's a horrible friend and I will tell you now I love Ron Weasley and if you got something to say, fight me. Let me know what you thought and have a great day/night! Love you all!
> 
> ~Tahala


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's mind gets hijacked and he develops a special hatred for the color pink.

Nico's pov

The train pulled to a stop and we all piled out. I heard a brisk voice calling out through the darkness.

" First years! First years over here! "

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. 

" Where's Hagrid? " Harry said

" I don't know but we better get out of the way, we're blocking the door " Ginny replied

We walk towards a large row of carriages being pulled by strange winged horses that were skin and bone. I stared at them, there is a strange Underworld-y aura around them.

_Greetings Lord_

I jumped. I looked at the horse closest to me.

_Did you say that?_

I felt stupid but then I heard a reply which felt even weirder.

_Yes Lord_

Is this what it feels like to be Percy? I pat the horse's snout and climb into the carriage, tuning out whatever the wizards were saying. My attention was grabbed by the extravagant castle. Annabeth would be thrilled if she saw it. We entered the castle and I got an odd vibe from it, I wrinkled my nose at all my senses screaming at me, UNNATURAL! DANGER! I got the same feeling I got when passing by ghosts in the Underworld. I hoped I was wrong but when it came to the dead my instincts were almost never wrong. One of the teachers walked up to me while we were making our way into the Great Hall.

" You must be Nico di Angelo, I am Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor house and the transfiguration teacher. You'll be joining the first years in the sorting " I nodded and she lead me into the hall

It was quite impressive, though I was glad Leo wasn't there, he would've spent hours trying to figure out how the candles were floating. I stood amongst a crowd of eleven year olds as I examined the staff table. A greasy haired man, Professor McGonagall, a guy with the longest beard, a lady who looked like a gardener, the lady who called for the first years, and oh my gods that much pink should be illegal. I looked at a patched old hat sitting on a stool. Harry said something about a hat and Sorting. Suddenly the hat started to sing. At least it sung better than Will. 

Once the hat was done Professor McGonagall started calling names and having the first years go up and put the hat on their heads. It would shout out their house after a few minutes. After all the kids were sorted the beard guy stood up. 

" To our newcomers, " he started with a beaming smile " welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! Some of you may have noticed we have a guest with us, " he turned towards me and so did all of the students. It took all my self control not to shadow travel away as I felt my face heat up.

" Please welcome Mr.Nico di Angelo, and exchange student from the United States " they clapped politely and I was beckoned towards the hat. 

I walked forward nervously and sat on the stool. I caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. The hat was placed on my head and slipped over my eyes.

_Hmm, a demigod, haven't had one of those in a while_

I nearly jumped out of my skin. What was with things talking in my mind!

_You can read my mind?_

_Yes of course, how else am I supposed to sort you? Don't worry though, whatever I see stays between the two of us_

_Um alright, wait there have demigods here before?_

_Oh yes! Not too many but occasionally a child of Hecate or Trivia will accidentally be mistaken for a witch or wizard._

_Are there any here now?_

It would be useful to have another demigod ally here so I don't go stir crazy with all the secrets.

_Maybe there is, maybe there isn't, it isn't my place to say. Now if you'd let me get to my job please._

_Fine_

_Thank you. Now, not the most loyal no, definitely hard working though not very fair. Quite clever but learning isn't exactly your top priority. Very cunning, good at putting up a front, ambitious but not overly so. Very brave, and noble, two wars! My oh my, the Pit! I don't want to see that thank you very much._

I was shaking slightly, I could feel memories slipping past my mind as the hat worked it's way to a decision.

_Are you done yet?_

_ADHD much? Fine then I've made my decision, better be..._

" GRYFFINDOR! " the hat bellowed to the hall

I took it off and saw the red and gold table burst into applause. I made my way over and sat down next to Harry.

" You look happy to be here " he said, smirking

" I'm over the moon " I deadpan

" Welcome to Gryffindor! " Ron laughed

Suddenly the golden plate were filled with food and everyone started piling food onto their plates. I put a decent portion on my plate before hesitating. While everyone else was preoccupied I grabbed a handful of tasty looking strawberries and hid them under the table. I focused and my hand lit with Hellfire. I muttered under my breath in Ancient Greek. Once the strawberries were gone I ate my meal. Suddenly I realized why I felt an Underworld-y presence in the castle. A ghost floated down the table and was speaking to Hermione.

“ What were you saying about the hat giving warnings? ” she asked

I furrowed my brow. I knew there was something odd about that song but now I knew for sure this was unusual.

“Oh yes,” said the ghost “Yes, I have heard the hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. And always, of course, its advice is the same: Stand together, be strong from within.”

Ron looked like he wanted to say something until the ghost caught sight of me. His face slackened. 

" You're- " I cut him off

" Nico di Angelo, and you are? " I raised an eyebrow, seething on the inside because _why were there ghosts roaming the surface!_

" Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, young sir. " he visibly gulped " the Gryffindor ghost "

" Are there more ghosts around here? " I asked innocently

" Um, well " I twisted my skull ring around my finger nonchalantly and he winced " yes, there are other ghosts, there's one for each house and a few others. There's also a poltergeist named Peeves you should look out for " 

For the love of Zeus, a poltergeist too!

" I think I can manage thank you " I responded cooly

" Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Gryffindor " he floated off quickly leaving nearby wizards staring at me

I looked down pointedly at my plate. I felt someone nudge me. 

" What was that all about mate? " Ron asked 

" I didn't know there were ghosts here, " I said shortly

" I guess we didn't tell you but that was weird he seemed scared of you " Hermione said looking at me oddly

I ignored her. I already had an inkling that she was suspicious of me. That turned out to be a silly school girl crush but I still wasn't very fond of her. I could still feel their stares on me but luckily their attention was diverted be the long bearded man standing up again and the food disappearing. Looks like a speech. Nice, nap time, I was feeling tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1259 words
> 
> Not the best place to finish but it was getting lengthy. Let me know what you thought of the chapter and Nico's Sorting. I placed him in Gryffindor because he is brave, chivalrous, kind of short tempered, and it's important for the plot. If you think he belongs somewhere else, that's fine but that's just where I think he'd go. I hope you enjoyed, stay safe. Love you guys!
> 
> ~Tahala


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico sleeps like the dead and Harry gets into a argument.

Harry's pov

After the Welcoming Feast and the 'illuminating' speech Professor Umbridge gave I was ready to go up to Gryffindor Tower and crash on my four poster bed. I stood up as the hall filled with the usual chatter. Ron and Hermione went to show the first years to the common rooms while I looked down at Nico who was sitting with his arms crossed on the table, his head resting in his arms. I tapped him on the shoulder.

" Nico we have to get to the common room "

Silence. I poked him harder but he merely stirred. I usually got lost focus during these sort of things but really? He actually fell asleep, I'm almost impressed. I smacked him lightly on the arm.

" Nico get your arse up, we need to go with the others " he tensed and lifted his head slightly as though trying to recognize my voice, a hand drifting to his sword, hidden under his robes.

Finally he seemed to figure out who I was because he didn't slice me with his soul sucking sword. Huh, that's a lot of Ss. He sat up fully and blinked, annoyed.

" What " he asked irritably

" Common room " I replied, just as annoyed and dragged him after the group of kids Ron and Hermione were leading

We finally made it to Gryffindor Tower. I smiled when I entered the dormitory, especially when I realized there was an extra bed. Nico took a moment, surveying the room and everyone else in it. He watched us all unpacking our things before he walked over to the empty bed, pulled the curtains, and disappeared out of view. That boy sleeps like the dead. Actually, I don't think the dead sleep, where did that expression come from then? I shook my head and continued unpacking. 

“ Hi, ” I said, as Dean Thomas was getting ready near me 

“Hey, Harry,” said Dean, who was putting on a pair of pajamas in the West Ham colors. “Good holiday?”

“Not bad,” I muttered, as a true account of my holiday would have taken most of the night to relate and I couldn't face it. “You?"

“Yeah, it was okay,” chuckled Dean. “Better than Seamus’s anyway, he was just telling me.”

“Why, what happened, Seamus?” Neville asked as he placed his _Mimbulus mimbletonia_ tenderly on his bedside cabinet.

Seamus did not answer immediately; he was making rather a meal of ensuring that his poster of the Kenmare Kestrels Quidditch team was quite straight. Then he said, with his back still turned to me, “Me mam didn’t want me to come back.”

“What?” I said , pausing in the act of pulling off his robes. “She didn’t want me to come back to Hogwarts.”  
Seamus turned away from his poster and pulled his own pajamas out of his trunk, still not looking at me.

“But — why?” I asked, astonished. I knew that Seamus’s mother was a witch and could not understand, therefore, why she should have come over so Dursley-ish.

Seamus did not answer until he had finished buttoning his pajamas. “Well,” he said in a measured voice, “I suppose . . . because of you.” “What d’you mean?” I said quickly. My heart was beating rather fast. I felt vaguely as though something was closing in on me. “Well,” said Seamus again, still avoiding my eyes, “she . . . er . . . well, it’s not just you, it’s Dumbledore too . . .”

“She believes the Daily Prophet?” I realized. “She thinks I’m a liar and Dumbledore’s an old fool?”

Seamus looked up at him. “Yeah, something like that.”  
I said nothing and threw my wand down onto my bedside table, pulled off my robes, stuffed them angrily into my trunk, and pulled on my pajamas. I was sick of it; sick of being the person who was stared at and talked about all the time. If any of them knew, if any of them had the faintest idea what it felt like to be the one all these things had happened to . . . Mrs. Finnigan had no idea, the stupid woman.

I got into bed and made to pull the hangings closed around me, but before I could do so, Seamus said, “Look . . . what did happen that night when . . . you know, when . . . with Cedric Diggory and all?”

Seamus sounded nervous and eager at the same time. Dean, who had been bending over his trunk, trying to retrieve a slipper, went oddly still and I knew he was listening hard.

“What are you asking me for?” I retorted. “Just read the Daily Prophet like your mother, why don’t you? That’ll tell you all you need to know.”

“Don’t you have a go at my mother,” snapped Seamus.

  
“I’ll have a go at anyone who calls me a liar,” I snapped

  
“Don’t talk to me like that!”

  
“I’ll talk to you how I want,” I said, my temper rising so fast I snatched his wand back from my bedside table, sparks flying off the end.

“If you’ve got a problem sharing a dormitory with me, go and ask McGonagall if you can be moved, stop your mummy worrying —”

“Leave my mother out of this, Potter!”

  
“What’s going on?”

  
Ron had appeared in the doorway. His wide eyes traveled from me, with my wand pointing at Seamus, to Seamus, who was standing there with his fists raised.

“He’s having a go at my mother!” Seamus yelled.

“What?” said Ron. “Harry wouldn’t do that — we met your mother, we liked her. . . .”

“That’s before she started believing every word the stinking Daily Prophet writes about me!” I yelled at the top of my voice.

“Oh,” said Ron, comprehension dawning across his freckled face. “Oh . . . right.”

“You know what?” said Seamus heatedly, casting me a venomous look. “He’s right, I don’t want to share a dormitory with him any- more, he’s a madman.”

“That’s out of order, Seamus,” said Ron, whose ears were starting to glow red, always a danger sign.

“Out of order, am I?” shouted Seamus, who in contrast with Ron was turning paler. “You believe all the rubbish he’s come out with about You-Know-Who, do you, you reckon he’s telling the truth?”

“Yeah, I do!” said Ron angrily.

  
“Then you’re mad too,” said Seamus in disgust.

  
“Yeah? Well unfortunately for you, pal, I’m also a prefect!” said

Ron, jabbing himself in the chest with a finger. “So unless you want detention, watch your mouth!”

Seamus looked for a few seconds as though detention would be a reasonable price to pay to say what was going through his mind; but with a noise of contempt he turned on his heel, vaulted into bed, and pulled the hangings shut with such violence that they were ripped from the bed and fell in a dusty pile to the floor. Ron glared at Seamus, then looked at Dean and Neville.

“Anyone else’s parents got a problem with Harry?” he said aggressively.

“My parents are Muggles, mate,” said Dean, shrugging. “They don’t know nothing about no deaths at Hogwarts, because I’m not stupid enough to tell them.”

“You don’t know my mother, she’ll weasel anything out of anyone!” Seamus snapped at him. “Anyway, your parents don’t get the Daily Prophet, they don’t know our headmaster’s been sacked from the Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards because he’s losing his marbles —”

“My gran says that’s rubbish,” piped up Neville. “She says it’s the Daily Prophet that’s going downhill, not Dumbledore. She’s canceled our subscription. We believe Harry,” he said simply. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his chin, looking owlishly over them at Seamus. “My gran’s always said You-Know-Who would come back one day. She says if Dumbledore says he’s back, he’s back.”

I felt a rush of gratitude toward Neville. Nobody else said anything. Seamus got out his wand, repaired the bed hangings, and vanished behind them. Dean got into bed, rolled over, and fell silent. Neville, who appeared to have nothing more to say either, was gazing fondly at his moonlit cactus.

I laid back on my pillows while Ron bustled around the next bed, putting his things away. I was still shaken by the argument with Seamus, which I had always liked. How many more people were going to suggest that I was lying or unhinged? I scowled up at the canopy of my bed for a few moments before sighing an turning on my side. I closed my eyes and listened to the thunderstorm that had just rolled in outside. They’ll know we’re right in the end, I just wonder how many more attacks like Seamus's I'll have to take before that time came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1436 words
> 
> Sorry it sucks. I needed a transition chapter and yes most of this is from the book, just slightly altered. Next chapter is when we'll get to the good stuff, swear it on Styx. Also sorry about the delay. Yesterday was Eid and I was celebrating with my family. Oh and if there is any particular pov you want me to write from let me know because I like to explore how different people view things. Hope you enjoyed, have a great day/night. Love you all!
> 
> ~ Tahala


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico has a chat with ghost and gets a bill.

Nico's pov

I was confused at first when I woke up. This wasn't Grimmuald Place. Then last night's memories came back to me. I vaguely remembered a bit of the Headmaster's speech before that pink abomination started talking, then I think I fell asleep. Blasted Harry woke me up. Today I was going to school. Joy. I woke up surprisingly early which gave me time to get ready without socializing. I showered and put on my robes (which are completely unconventional, how does one fight in these things?) and set off to find the Great Hall.

It was a good thing I went early because I had no idea where I was going. I probably should've waited for Harry or Ron but I'm not a very patient person. Instead I decided to kill two birds with one stone by asking a ghost for directions while asking what in my father's name they are doing in the living world. I stopped in an abandoned corridor and sent out an order to all of the ghosts to come to me. In a matter of second the ghost from yesterday appeared. He bowed nervously.

" Your Highness, we didn't know you were coming " I narrowed my eyes

" Well I am supposed to be on an under cover mission from _my father_ " he winced

" Please your Majesty, you can't send us to the Underworld " he pleaded " Lady Hecate promised us we could stay as long as we don't cause trouble. We, I, am not ready to be gone forever " I considered him and sighed

" You understand I must report this to Father " I say coldly

" Yes but- "

" It will ultimately be his decision, but he might allow you to stay and if not, I will make sure you are all given fair judgement " his transparent face broke into a grin

" Oh thank you! Now if there something else you need Sire? " 

" Firstly, when I am around others, act normally, as if I was just another student. Next I'll need a place practice my fighting skills because if I don't I'll either get rusty or beating up wizards out of boredom. It also needs to be somewhere where I could teach someone else sword training " I say remembering my promise to Harry

" Of course Lord, and there is a such a place in the castle. On the seventh floor, across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. To access it you must walk past the area of the door three times, thinking of what you need " he replied instantly

It sounded kind of nuts but who was I to complain.

" One last thing, " I grinned kind of sheepishly " I don't know how to get to breakfast "

In a matter of minutes I made it to the Great Hall at the same time as everyone else. I sighed, oh well, I'll make it early tomorrow but for now I have to _socialize_. I sat down near Ron, Harry, and Hermione. I still didn't know what to think of the bushy haired girl. She had confessed she had a crush on me and I very much didn't return her feelings. On one hand I was confused on how she could've caught feelings so quickly when we'd only known each other for a few days at the time, and why she was so cold towards me if she liked me. Then I remembered how I'd instantly fallen for Percy and hid my feelings so much he thought I hated him. I still didn't like her too much but I was trying to be sympathetic and not rude since I knew what it was like not to have your feelings returned.

Will mentioned once that glaring at people 100% of the time makes them think you hate humanity. I had already known that which is why I had done it so much, but I wanted people to actually like me so I tuned it down. Besides, I was sure her and Ron would get together, they just had chemistry. He doesn't seem to be much of a romantic though, I'd have to give him courting advice. What was I doing, oh breakfast. Oh crap, I have to offer to the gods. I could do the Hellfire trick again but I might risk catching someone's attention now that they're not distracted by a speech. I'll just have to pray that my loving family doesn't kill me. 

I ate slowly glaring up at the ceiling that matched the sky outside. I knew my father would understand but I've been offering to Hecate too, and Zeus. Always offer to Zeus, Chiron says it's because he's the king and stuff, but I think it's because he's insecure and looking for an excuse to murder children to make himself feel better. I'm pretty sure Percy agrees but we can't talk out loud or else we'd get killed. Percy may not care about angering the gods because of all his near death experiences, but I made sure not to have a reason to be killed because of all my near death experiences.

Everything was fine until the owls came. Thousands of the infernal birds swooped down from the ceiling, all flying in different directions. The only people who seemed concerned at all were the first years but they calmed down in a few seconds. I, on the other hand, wanted to duck under the table. Animals don't like me and the feeling is mutual, most of them cower and stay away from me but a few like to bother me until I extend my 'death aura' so much that people can feel it. I hoped the owls would leave me alone, but it turns out there is a reason they were the sacred animal of a war goddess. Thanks cousin Athena. Every owl headed towards the Gryffindor table took the time to attack me before delivering their letters. 

Like any sensible person I leaped out of my seat and bolted. I heard the teachers yelling, owls screeching, and the whole school laughing. I gritted my teeth. Note to self, if cover is blown, the first thing I'm doing is summoning some skeleton birds and unleashing them upon the students of Hogwarts. I quickly turned the bend, out of sight of the wizards and turned angrily on the owls and let them taste the Underworld. They quickly about faced and zoomed back into the Great Hall.

I let loose a string of Ancient Greek curse words when one back away but didn't leave. For a moment I thought, to Hades with it, I'm just going to shadow travel out of here, until I noticed what kind of owl it was. A screech owl, sacred to Hades. I turned down my death aura and the owl landed on my shoulder and nipped my ear lightly. I took the letter from its claws and read the Greek words easily.

_Nico di Angelo, Great Hall, Hogwarts School_

Kind of creepy. I examined the letter, hoping it was from one of my friends who decided to use a screech owl because they knew it'd be the only kind that wouldn't hate me. It was jet black and wasn't a roll of parchment which was always a good thing. Then I saw my father's symbol on the seal. I had essentially gotten a combination of a bill and a bad report card. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for missing last week! I thought I hit post but I actually hit preview blah! I'm still new to the site and if any of you have some good tips please let me know. I'll also be moving my updating day to Saturday because for some reason I always have plans on Friday? Anyway let me know what you thought in the comments and if you have any theories about what the wizards thought about the Owl Attack. Love you all bye!  
> ~Tahala


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Trio gets suspicious and Nico doesn't like history.

Harry's pov

I didn't know what to make of Nico being chased out of the Great Hall by Hogwarts' owl population. He'd mentioned once that animals weren't fond of him when Hedwig would always demand to go outside whenever he was in the room. I never expected it to be like this. Nico walked back into the Great Hall looking murderous. The students that were laughing at him immediately stopped when glimpsing his scowl. I could've sworn the temperature dropped a few degrees.

Hermione was watching him interestedly as he plopped down next to me with a long suffering sigh, stuffing a black envelope with his name and location into his pocket. He got through a goblet of orange juice and half a piece of jam covered toast before he realized that the hall was still silent and everyone was looking at him. He managed to look very threatening while wiping jam off his lips.

" What. " he said coldly

Everyone quickly turned back to what they were doing and he scoffed, getting up and mumbling: " I'll see you in History of Magic " before leaving the hall once more.

" What was that? " Ron asked once he was gone

" I'm not sure, he told me once that animals didn't like him but- "

" Not being liked by animals isn't enough to warrant _that_ " Hermione said, furrowing her brow in concentration 

" What do you mean " I ask her

" It has to be a spell or curse oh some sort, animals don't behave that way normally " she said while thinking hard

" Who would do that? " Ron asked through a mouthful of eggs

" I don't know, or maybe there's something about him that the owls don't like. Like when Crookshanks didn't like Scabbers because he was Pettigrew " she said thoughtfully

" Can we not talk about that " Ron shuddered

" Sorry, but maybe the owls could just feel something off about him. Owls are very clever "

" But what could it be? My mom already cast a revealing charm when he first appeared " Ron pushed his plate away 

" I don't know, but I feel like he's hiding something " Hermione said suspiciously

I stared at her. Hermione had said she liked Nico but I wasn't so sure. Nico had believed her so i didn't say anything, not to mention I didn't want him to use his dementor sword on her. I was pretty sure she was into Viktor Krum, or at least she was at some point. Hermione just doesn't strike me as the love at first sight type. Though I had to agree that Nico was secretive, he might've been friendly with me but he wasn't too keen on sharing too much information about himself. 

All I knew about him was that he was from the United States, had a deadly sword, was trained in battle, was filthy rich, and had a girlfriend in the States. He knew a lot about me. He knew about the adventures I've had with Ron and Hermione, he knew enough about the Dursleys to not like them, he knew about Sirius, and he knew about the Order. I'm surprised Dumbledore hasn't spoken to him yet, but then again, he might be keeping an eye on him though Moody. Whenever he was at headquarters his magic eye would follow Nico, who would sometimes make rude hand gestures.

I am unashamed to say that Ron and I laugh every time. Whatever it is Nico is hiding, somehow I knew that it was important, and that it would be better for me to leave it alone and respect his privacy. Unfortunately I'm not good at leaving things alone and there was still a nagging part of me that warned that Nico was trouble. I told that part of me to stuff a sock in it. 

I wasn't going to go snooping in his stuff or tailing his every move. Just going to try and pick up on the subtle things he does, do some research, and follow him around occasionally. Before I could think anymore Angelina approached me. 

"Hi, Angelina."  
"Hi," she said briskly, "good summer?" And without waiting for an answer, "Listen, I've been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain." 

"Nice one," I said, grinning at her; I suspected Angelina's pep talks might not be as long-winded as Oliver Wood's had been, which could only be an improvement.

"Yeah, well, we need a new Keeper now Oliver's left. Tryouts are on Friday at five o'clock and I want the whole team there, all right? Then we can see how the new person'll fit in."

"Okay," I grinned, and she smiled at me and departed.

"I'd forgotten Wood had left, I suppose that will make quite a difference to the team?" Hermione asked vaguely 

"I s'pose," I shrugged. "He was a good Keeper. . . ."

The twins showed up and we had a nice chat about our upcoming O.W.L.s with Fred and George hinting that they wouldn't be using their last year for educational purposes. 

“D’you reckon it’s true this year’s going to be really tough? Because of the exams?” I asked

“Oh yeah,” said Ron. “Bound to be, isn’t it? O.W.L.s are really important, affect the jobs you can apply for and everything. We get career advice too, later this year, Bill told me. So you can choose what N.E.W.T.s you want to do next year.”

“D’you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?” I asked them, as we left the Great Hall and set off toward the History of Magic classroom.

“Not really,” said Ron slowly. “Except . . . well . . .”  
He looked slightly sheepish.  
“What?” I urged him.  
“Well, it’d be cool to be an Auror,” said Ron in an offhand voice. 

“Yeah, it would,” I said fervently.

“But they’re, like, the elite,” said Ron. “You’ve got to be really good. What about you, Hermione?”

“I don’t know,” said Hermione. “I think I’d really like to do some- thing worthwhile.”

“An Auror’s worthwhile!” I said.

“Yes, it is, but it’s not the only worthwhile thing,” said Hermione thoughtfully. “I mean, if I could take S.P.E.W. further . . .”  
Ron and I avoided looking at each other

We made it just in time for the most boring subject ever made by Wizard-kind. Nico was there levitating a quill with his wand and making it do some pretty impressive aerobatic tricks. He seemed to have calmed down from the Owl Attack because he looked greatly amused. He smiled and mouthed "magic" and shook his head. I smiled, I still felt that way sometimes, I mean it is pretty amazing, we're bloody wizards. I sat down next to him as Professor Binns floated in through the blackboard. 

Nico's jaw dropped and his quill dropped. Professor Binns seemed to notice Nico and he looked shocked. That was just about the most emotion I've ever seen him display since we asked him about the Chamber of Secrets. Nico and Binns stared at each other for a long time. Nico's surprise seemed to turn to annoyance because he smiled coldly.

" Is there something wrong _Professor_? "he forced out the word 'professor' as though taunting him 

" No, of course not, er, um, class dismissed! " and he franticly floated back through the blackboard

Everyone cheered and packed their things. Hermione looked astonished and looked at Nico who shoved all his things in his bag and ran out of the classroom in the same direction Binns went. Nico di Angelo was definitely hiding something, and I was going to find out. Time to break out my dad's old Cloak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1273 words
> 
> A long one this time! Hope you're proud of me. Let me know what you thought in the comments and share your theories about what's going to happen next! The Golden Trio is starting to get suspicious. Harry is going to follow Nico to wherever it is he's going. And the boys still don't know why they feel a connection to each other. Clue: I've been leaving subtle hints throughout previous chapters, see if you can pick up on them ;) Love you all, bye!
> 
> ~Tahala


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grover, Percy, and Annabeth are bros and that makes Nico uncomfortable.

Nico's pov

I stormed from the classroom after seeing that stupid ghost teacher's reaction to my presence. I can't believe these wizards. Having ghosts teach children when they should be in the Underworld? My father will not like my reply to his letter. I unfolded it from my pocket and read it over again. Thank the gods Father remembers I'm dyslexic. Last time he sent me a note in English I had a killer headache by the time I had finished

_Son,_

_I am contacting you to see the progress of your mission. Hecate will also be informed of whatever news you give me so there is no need to tell her as well. I need to know about the status of your search for Horcruxes, the condition of the Chosen One and your relationship with him, and whether or not you've kept your cover. However I have my own news to share. At first I was planning on recalling you as soon as you have destroyed all of Tom Riddle's Horcruxes, but now I fear that Tom Riddle is apart of a bigger scheme and has Greek forces aiding him. I'm not just talking about demigods, something else that is even worse. I am not sure what but I will tell you as soon as I am sure, and I trust you will do the same. Good luck._

_-Hades_

I examined the note one last time before putting it back in the pocket of my robes. They may have been impractical for a fight but at least they hid things well. Like swords that apparently some wizards can see. So far Harry is the only one I've met that can see through the Mist but there might be others and they might tattle on me to teachers who don't understand the importance of having a soul sucking sword on your person at all times. 

I made it to the boy's bathroom and made sure it was empty before starting to make a rainbow. I haven't checked on camp in a while and I should probably update them on how I'm doing on my que- Oh who am I kidding I am terribly home sick. I succeeded in my rainbow making and anxiously threw in a drachma.

" Camp Half-Blood " I said quickly in Ancient Greek

The Big House materialized in the mist. There were three people on the deck laughing with their backs turned to me.

" Hey Percabeth! Grover! " they all turned

" Who taught you our ship name? " Percy laughed

" Jason " I replied simply, a small smile forming at seeing my cousin

Grover frowned

" Ah Jason. My competitor for the title of Percy's Best Friend " he said darkly, the effect was lost with his goatee twitching as he tried not to smile

" Come on Goat Boy, the chances of Jason replacing you as My Best Friend are the same chances of me breaking up with Annabeth. He's just my favorite cousin " Percy consoled him

" Gee thanks " I deadpanned

" Thanks Perce, I guess it is impossible for Mr. Blond Superman to take my place. I'd bash him over the head with my panpipes before that happened " we all laughed and I almost felt like I was there with them

" So I'm assuming you didn't IM just to see us? " Annabeth asked

" Not completely, I did miss you guys, even Percy- "

" Hey! "

" But yes I decided an update was in order. For one, wizards have weird clothes "

" We can tell " Grover said gesturing to my robes

" Shut it, any way your mother hates me Annabeth. She swarmed me with owls during breakfast "

" Owls? Why were there owls? " she snorted

" Wizard mail, anyway, things are pretty uneventful so far considering this is my first day " I paused

" Is Will there? "

The three of them had the nerve to wiggle their eyebrows at each other and then at me. I thought Grover and Annabeth would've been above such things but it seems no one was on my side.

" He's in the infirmary with the excuse of restocking but we all know he's just looking at pictures of you because he's lonely " Annabeth smirked

They will later claim I had turned a lovely shade of pink. I did not. If I did blush that easily, which I don't, I would've turned red not _pink._ What a horrid color. Annabeth went to get Will, leaving me alone with the bros. They kept making references to random quests they've been on and leaving me standing there awkwardly, making comments when I knew what they were talking about. Finally Annabeth returned with Will which made me lose interest in whatever Percy and Grover were talking about. I got a weird feeling that I usually associated with being in the Underworld. I assumed it was the skeletal butterflies resurrecting in my stomach. 

" Hey Nico! How's the wizard life treating you? " he gave me a bright smile and I vaguely noticed Percy, Annabeth, and Grover leaving

" Not bad, but there are a bunch of unauthorized ghosts here, I'll be writing to Father immediately to see what I should do about it " he nodded though I knew he didn't understand my Underworld stuff

" I see. So during our last Iris Message, " we both looked away

" Did you mean it? " I ask quietly

" Of course, I mean, it hasn't been that long but you're just too great not to love Death Boy " he smiled sheepishly

I will admit I blushed here. Who wouldn't when your significant other tells you they love you for the first time?

" I mean, I love you too, " he had a big stupid smile and I could tell I was grinning too " it's hard not to. Anyway, enough mushiness Solace! I'm on a quest! " 

" Whatever you say Ghost Boy, it's been pretty weird at camp lately. A few monsters have been sniffing around the border but they haven't been attacking. When we try to approach them they leave which doesn't really- what is it? " I had held up a hand to stop him

I turned around and surveyed the room. It was definitely empty but I felt there was something off. I walked around the room. There was an ominous feeling of impending death, like when Thanatos is near and ready to collect your soul. It was the same feeling I'd get when Thanatos would be trying to sneak up on me with his Invisibility Cloak.

I walked around with my hands outstretched just in case Thanatos was messing with me for some reason. Was I about to kick the bucket? Was someone nearby about to kick the bucket? No that couldn't be it, I would've sensed it. Was he sending a message from my father? What was the point of the letter then? Everything on it was in Ancient Greek, even my name and address on the outside, so only a Greek demigod would be able to read it, and maybe a Roman if they struggled enough. 

" Nico what is it? " I jumped, having forgotten Will was there

" There's someone, or something here, I'll Message you again later " he nodded

" Alright, bye " he swiped his hand through the mist and that's when I saw the door to the bathroom open slightly

I sped across the room and reached out blindly, feeling and arm despite not seeing anything. I thought I caught a glimpse of black when it disappeared again. I realized that this person was wearing some sort of smooth silklike material, like a cloak. If it's Thanatos I'm asking Father to deduct his pay. Hades will only be too happy. I ripped off the cloak and gasped. It wasn't Thanatos.

Standing there, with his wand held loosely in his hand and a frantic look in his emerald green eyes was Harry Potter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is back, and I feel like I should give up on my schedule but I'm still gonna try. There are two possibilities with me back in school. I become more productive and update on schedule for once. Or my updating gets even worse. Let's hope it's the first. Sorry for the wait, not sorry for the cliffhanger! Let me know what you think and maybe some theories on how this is going to go down. Love you all bye!  
> ~ Tahala


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry gets schooled on the gods and Nico doesn't like his family.

Harry's pov

To put it most simply, in the most child appropriate way, I was in trouble. Nico stared at me for a good two seconds before swinging me back into the room and slamming the door shut. I stumbled and nearly fell. I saw him take out his wand, I raised my own to defend myself but he pointed it at the door. It took him a few moments to think of the spell. 

" _Colloportus_ " there was a click and the door locked, he had this satisfied and slightly impressed look on his face before turning back to me with death written across his expression. 

" How much did you hear? " he asked in a low voice

The silent fury in his voice was worse then if he yelled at me. 

" Not much, uh you have a boyfriend. Congratulations? " he stared at me for a long time"

" What else? " his voice was still as cold as ice

" Um, something about your dad and unauthorized ghosts. What's that supposed to mean? " I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me

He put his hands over his face and then ran them through his hair exasperatedly.

" I am such a careless idiot " he muttered

" Well you're not really an idiot. I don't know why you're careless though. What is it with your dad and ghosts " I felt a bit of anger " Are planning to do something to the ghosts? "

Nico froze and stared at me. 

" I- no, not unless my father wants me too but " he stopped and stared at me as if he was seeing me in a new light " how did you understand me? " 

" What do you mean? I'm not thick, I speak English " I reply getting more annoyed by the moment

Who was his father? Why was he invoked with ghosts? Why was he so confused about me understanding him?

" I wasn't speaking English " now I was confused. English was the only language I spoke, if it wasn't English how did I understand

" What were you speaking then? " he was silent for a few moments

" What do you know about the Greek myths?" 

" What? " where had that come from? " The gods and stuff? What does that have to do with anything? " he inhaled deeply and let out a bitter laugh

" It has to do with everything. What class do we have next? " 

" Uh, Potions with Snape" I wrinkled my nose slightly when mentioning my least favorite professor

" I have time then, since History of Magic was cancelled. We can finish this in the dorm room " he made eye contact with me and I tried not to look away

Nico always had this look in his eyes, deep dark abysses of your worst fears. Things that would sent the bravest man cowering. Like he had seen everything and knew everything but still wasn't satisfied. 

" Should we go then? " I started for the door

" Too long, this school is annoying when it comes to getting to places. Hand " he held out his arm

" What are you going to do? "

" Get us to the dorm room. The same way I got to Grimmuald Place " hesitantly I placed my hand in his. He was as cold as ice.

" Hang on " 

We were pulled into the darkness. Rushing cold and whispers of long forgotten voices and the feeling of having my face peeled off. We reappeared in the dorm room. I fell on my back as Nico dusted off his robes with an annoyed look on his face giving me a glimpse of his black sword.

" These things are so impractical " he grumbled

" W-what was that? " I ask while sitting up

" Shadow travel, it's exactly what it sounds like "

" I am so confused, how did you do that? We never learned about that " I sat down on my bed and he sat across from me. I got a vague feeling of deja vu

" Of course you didn't, it's not wizard transportation. It's demigod power "

" Excuse me what? "

Then this guy tells me about how the Greek and Roman gods are alive and real and how they're still having demigod children who go on death defying quests to save the world and Nico confessed his dad was the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, and that he was half-god and he was one of those heroes who saved the world. I was convinced he was off his rocker until he told me that he had been speaking Ancient Greek which I understood and for some reason made me a demigod.

" Okay. Say that all of this rubbish about the Greek gods is real, " thunder conveniently rumbled in the sky " how does that make me a demigod " I made quotation marks around the word demigod

" For one, you are more powerful than any wizard I've seen here " I felt my face heat up 

" I'm not any better- "

" Not better, more powerful. Your power doesn't determine your greatness. After all the gods are the most powerful beings at moment " he gave me a look like that statement spoke for itself

" Alright then, but how am I more powerful then, say Dumbledore? "

" Because he is merely mortal. A powerful wizard yes, but only mildly competent against one who is half-god " I stared at him. He was very serious about this, I was starting to believe him

" Okay, say I believe you, what other proof do you have? "

" I'm guessing you're ADHD? Have trouble reading? "

" Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder? I've never been diagnosed but, " but I lived with the Dursleys who only ever took me to the doctor because it was legally required but I did always wonder if I might've had it " yeah I think you're right "

" Of course I am. Now my other question? " he didn't even sound stuck up while saying, just slightly bored if anything

" I do muck up my spelling most of the time, I usually use a spell check quill for it " 

" Wait those exist? Do you have an extra? My spelling is atrocious " I nodded

" Yeah, I do I could give you one later " 

" Cool, what was I saying? Right demigodness. Demigods have dyslexia because their brains are hardwired for Ancient Greek and that's how you understood me. We also have some sort of attention deficient disorder because we have natural instincts to keep us alive in battle. It also allows us to see through the Mist "

" The mist? Like fog? " he shook his head

" Magical Mist to keep the Mythical world separated from the mortal world, or in this case the magic world. That's what hid my sword from everyone else " 

" But why? If you are a demigod, why are you here? Why are you under cover? " My head was buzzing with questions 

" It's an even longer story and I'm afraid I'm not sure if I can tell you everything right away but for now all you need to know is that I'm with you Harry. I'm against Riddle too, I'm here to stop him, and well, to be honest I wasn't informed you were a demigod but that's fine. If anything it makes my job easier because I don't have to hide myself from everyone. However you must understand this news is extremely confidential, you cannot tell anyone "

" No one? Not even Ron and Hermione? Why not? " 

" Why do wizards stay hidden from muggles? They won't be able to handle the news that the Greek and Roman gods are still alive and kicking. Demigods would never catch a break, besides society isn't what it used to be. It's not Ancient Greece anymore. Mortals can't see through the Mist, if we told them they'd think we're crazy. No one means no one, Ron and Hermione can't know anything about this " he must've seen my face fall because he softened a bit

" I know you don't want to keep things from your friends but it is absolutely necessary. You might one day but only if I say, my father told me to keep a low profile unless it was absolutely nessesary. Not that I don't trust you, but I'll need you to swear on the River Styx " I nodded but he paused me before I could say anything

" For your information, if you break this vow you will most likely die or suffer a horrible fate " I swallowed 

" Noted. I swear on the River Styx not to tell mortals or muggles about the Greco-Roman world unless you say so " thunder boomed in the sky

" Is that normal? " he chuckled a little

" Very, now that that's out of the way, " he got a dangerous gleam in his eyes " I'll have to start training you earlier than expected " 

Ha ha ha, I'm in danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1555 words
> 
> I'm late. I know and I'm sorry! *offers cookies* Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. What do you guys think will happen next? Who do you think Harry's godly parent is? Is it his mom or dad? A god or goddess? How will he keep this from his best friends? I love to hear your theories! See you all next week (hopefully) love you, bye!
> 
> ~Tahala


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione is suspicious and Umbridge has crusty course aims

Hermione's pov

Things have been extremely strange lately. I mean even more so than the standard wizard weirdness. For one Harry and Nico have been whispering to each other, abruptly stopping whenever someone came near. Occasionally I would catch them speaking in some strange language which shocked me because, I was sure Harry only spoke English, though it didn't surprise me that di Angelo spoke more than one language. What they spoke didn't sound like Italian though. They whispered to each other all through out Potions in their strange language.

Harry's potion was a bit off as usual, Nico's was atrocious, he kept squinting at the blackboard then flipping through his book, then randomly throwing ingredients into his cauldron. I was very sure that it would blow up at some point. Snape vanished both their potions which I understood for di Angelo but Harry too? Honestly, some of the Slytherins were much worse. Nico quickly shared Harry's intense hatred of Snape and they were complaining about the class once we were dismissed. 

Harry ate his lunch angrily, making it to the Great Hall a bit before Ron and I. We sat down and started to eat, I tried to calm Harry down.

"That was really unfair," I said agreeing, as any sensible person would"Your potion wasn't nearly as bad as Goyle's, when he put it in his flagon the whole thing shattered and set his robes on fire."

"Yeah, well," Harry said glowering at his plate, "since when has Snape ever been fair to me?"

"I did think he might be a bit better this year," I admitted "I mean . . . you know . . ." I looked around carefully. ". . . Now he's in the Order and everything."

"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots," said Ron sagely. "Anyway, I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked trusting Snape, where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You- Know-Who?"

"I think Dumbledore's probably got plenty of evidence, even if he doesn't share it with you, Ron," I snapped

"Oh, shut up, the pair of you," said Harry heavily, as Ron opened his mouth to argue back. We both froze and I felt vaguely offended "Can't you give it a rest?" he said. "You're always having a go at each other, it's driving me mad." And abandoning his shepherd's pie, he swung his schoolbag back over his shoulder and left us sitting there.

Nico looked up with a mildly amused look on his face.

" You too remind me of some friends of mine back home who always argue. It's infuriating " he said fondly

My resolve wavered again at the tone of his voice. Death Eaters had no care for anyone but their cause and themselves from what Harry told us. However that didn't change the fact that di Angelo was extremely suspicious and had written something about joining up with He Who Must Not Be Named. 

Maybe it was because of his young age. Maybe he had no choice in joining up with You Know Who. He didn't like to talk about his family, were they being used as leverage against him? What would You Know Who want with Nico, who looked like he could be a third year, despite his strange behavior. But if he really wanted to know more about Nico couldn't he just capture him? This boy was too confusing! The only person who seemed to know anything about him was Harry who already liked him too much to betray any private information without his permission. 

Finally lunch was over, thank goodness, without Harry there to act as a buffer it was very awkward between the three of us. Nico seemed to at least like Ron, they shared a brief conversation in Gringotts. When it came to me however, he seemed more cautious and weary. I thought it must've been because of my faux confession in Grimmuald Place. Speaking of which, I don't know why he'd be ready to join You Know Who if he had a girlfriend back in the States.

I went to Arithmancy while the Nico followed Ron to Divination. I don't know why he choose such a useless subject when he could joined me in Arithmancy. Maybe it had to do with how he wanted to stay close to Harry. Maybe it was because of because he didn't like me. Or maybe it was simply because he thought the subject was too hard. Boys. Always taking the easy route.

Soon after Arithmancy we all met up for our first Defense Against the Dark Arts with the strange Ministry woman.

The class was quiet as we entered the room; Professor Umbridge was, as yet, an unknown quantity and nobody knew yet how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be.

"Well, good afternoon!" she said when finally the whole class had sat down.

A few people mumbled "Good afternoon," in reply.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Um- bridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," we chanted back at her.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order "wands away" had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Harry shoved his wand back inside his bag and pulled out quill, ink, and parchment. Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:

**_ Defense Against the Dark Arts A Return to Basic Principles. _ **

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year.

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory- centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:

**_ Course aims: _ **

**_ 1\. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic. _ **

_** 2\. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic  ** _ _** can legally be used. ** _

**_ 3\. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for  _ ** **_ practical use. _ **

"Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.

"I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply 'Yes, Professor Um- bridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' So, has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room.

"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basics for Beginners.' There will be no need to talk."

I was copying down her words when I realized something about her course aims. She didn't say anything about _using_ defensive magic. I raised my hand, ignoring the perplexed looks Harry and Ron gave me, and the curious look that Nico gave. This was not going to be a good class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1255 words
> 
> Sorry it was mostly from the book! I wanted Umbridge's class to be back to Nico's pov since I miss writing from his eyes. I did enjoy going back to Hermione and despite her not being one of my favorite characters I hope I did her justice. Sorry about the wait too, my teachers are trying not to stress us out, but honestly I think teenagers wake up stressed lol. Hope you guys enjoyed and if all goes well we should find out Harry's godly side of the family in a few chapters, I'll need to examine the book more closely though. There are a few hints in earlier chapters, if you look the right way ;) btw disregard the second note, idk how to get rid of it, see you guys next time, Love you!
> 
> ~Tahala


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umbridge meets Nico. It doesn't go well.

Nico's pov

I knew immediately that Professor Umbridge and I wouldn't get along. She sat at her desk as everyone took out their books and hesitantly started to read except for Hermione and I. Hermione's book was closed in front of her and she had her hand in the air. I laid back and read to my greatest ability. One minute later and I had made it through the first sentence. My mind blanked the moment I started on the the next sentence and didn't remember what I had just read. I groaned. This was incredibly dull. 

One of my hands fingered the pommel of my sword and I was tempted to shred the book with it. Or behead Umbridge. Unfortunately I couldn't do the latter because heroes aren't allowed to hurt innocent mortals but that wouldn't stop me from using the textbook for training later. Several minutes later I realized I wasn't the only one watching Hermione. It seems that everyone decided they would rather watch Hermione's quiet attempt to catch Professor Umbridge's attention. Finally she couldn't ignore her anymore.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.

"Not about the chapter, no," said Hermione.

"Well, we're reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small, pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," said Hermione. Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.  
"And your name is — ?"  
"Hermione Granger," said Hermione.

"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.

"Well, I don't," said Hermione bluntly. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."

There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard.

"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron interrupted loudly.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr. — ?"

"Weasley," said Ron, thrusting his hand into the air.

Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him. Harry and Hermione immediately raised their hands too. Pro- fessor Umbridge's pouchy eyes lingered on Harry for a moment before she addressed Hermione.

"Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Umbridge in her falsely sweet voice.

"No, but —"

"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way —"

"What use is that?" said Harry loudly. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a —"

"Hand, Mr. Potter!" sang Professor Umbridge.

Harry thrust his fist in the air. Professor Umbridge promptly turned away from him again, but now several other people had their hands up too.

"And your name is?" Professor Umbridge said to Dean.

"Dean Thomas."

"Well, Mr. Thomas?"  
"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free-"

"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating

fashion at Dean, "do you expect to be attacked during my classes?" "No, but —"  
Professor Umbridge talked over him.  
"I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this

school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed — not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."

"If you mean Professor Lupin," piped up Dean Thomas angrily, "he was the best we ever —"

"Hand, Mr. Thomas! As I was saying — you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day —"

"No we haven't," Hermione said, "we just —"  
"Your hand is not up, Miss Granger!"  
Hermione put up her hand; Professor Umbridge turned away from her.

"It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you —" 

"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" said Dean Thomas hotly. "Mind you, we still learned loads —"

"Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas!" trilled Professor Umbridge.

"Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up.

"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the countercurses and things?"

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under care- fully controlled examination conditions," said Professor Umbridge dismissively.

"Without ever practicing them before?" said Parvati incredulously. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough —"

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again.

Professor Umbridge looked up.  
"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," she said softly. "So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?"

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter."  
"Oh yeah?" said Harry who looked like he might blow a fuse

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?"inquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.

"Hmm, let's think . . ." said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice, "maybe Lord Voldemort?"

Ron gasped; Lavender Brown uttered a little scream; Neville slipped sideways off his stool. Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."

The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry.

"Now, let me make a few things quite plain."

I raised my hand, she turned to me.

" Yes Mr. - "

" Di Angelo, Nico di Angelo, with all due respect Miss, it is impossible to master something while only knowing the theory and no practice. Could someone become an expert Quidditch player without ever stepping foot on the field before a game? "

" Well Mr.di Angelo, magic isn't like those brutal sports. You are born with the ability to do it and as long as you study hard enough you'll do fine on exams "

" Just because someone is born with magic doesn't mean they can learn how to use it by reading about it " I felt my temper rise " Power without control and practice is dangerous "

" I know that better than anyone Mr.di Angelo, as a teacher and Ministry official- "

" It doesn't sound like you know anything at all! What about Voldemort? Harry's right! He's out there and you're all just sitting around doing nothing while he's planning gods know what! "

" 10 more points from Gryffindor Mr.di Angelo! "

Professor Umbridge straighten her clothes, stood up and leaned toward us, her stubby- fingered hands splayed on her desk.

"You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead —"

"He wasn't dead," said Harry angrily, "but yeah, he's returned!"

" You're as blind as you are ugly! " 

"Boys-you-two-have-already-lost-your-House-ten-points-each-do-not- make-matters-worse-for-yourselves" said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. "As I was saying, you have been in- formed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

"It is NOT a lie!" Harry and I yelled at once, thunder rumbled outside and I knew the gods must've agreed with us. Harry continued "I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter and Mr.di Angelo!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, 'Basics for Beginners.' "

Professor Umbridge sat down behind her desk again. Harry, how-ever, stood up. Everyone was staring at him; Seamus looked half- scared, half-fascinated.

"Harry, no!" Hermione whispered in a warning voice, tugging at his sleeve, but Harry jerked his arm out of her reach.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.

There was a collective intake of breath from the class. They stared avidly from Harry to Professor Umbridge, who had raised her eyes and was staring at him without a trace of a fake smile on her face. My father's words came back to me, about Voldemort killing a boy.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," she said coldly.  
"It was murder," said Harry. "Voldemort killed him, and you know it." I stood up with Harry

" One of your own students was murdered and you aren't suspicious in the slightest? I should've stayed in U.S where they know what they're doing " **( I live in the U.S and we don't know what we're doing, especially with Mr.Orange as president but I wanted Nico to make that jibe)**

Professor Umbridge's face was quite blank. For a moment he thought she was going to scream at him. Then she said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, "Come here, boys"

We both walked up to her desk. Professor Umbridge pulled a small roll of pink parchment out of her handbag, stretched it out on the desk, dipped her quill into a bottle of ink, and started scribbling, hunched over so that we couldn't see what she was writing. Nobody spoke. After a minute or so she rolled up the parchment and tapped it with her wand; it sealed itself seamlessly so that we couldn't open it.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear," said Professor Umbridge, holding out the note to Harry.

We left without saying a word. Harry started heading to McGonagall's office while I went in a different direction.

" Where are you going? " 

" I'm not here for an education Harry, just to protect you and collect Riddle's soul, is Professor McGonagall going to harm you? "

He shook his head and I nodded.

" Then I'll see you in the common room, tell McGonagall I had a medical emergency or something " He stood there for a few moments before sighing and waving to me before he left

Now that I've left Professor Dumbridge's class, ha, that's good, I'll keep using it, I have more important things to do, like finding the Room of Requirement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1894 words
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this epic showdown! Sorry for the wait but I've been busy with school stuff. It is what it is. Let me know what you thought in the comments and leave kudos if you think I should continue to have Nico call Umbridge 'Dumbridge'. What do you think Nico will think of Umbridge's detention? When do you think we'll find out who Harry's godly parent is? How will Umbridge react to the 5'6 terror that is Nico di Angelo? Find out next time and guess in the comments, love you all, bye!
> 
> ~Tahala


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry wants to play with sharp weapons and Nico want to commit murder. The two activities don't go together as well as you'd think

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, thank you guys for over 4 thousand hits and almost 200 kudos! It means a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this and I hope you stick around so we can find out what happens next. I say we because I don't know either! Happy reading!

Harry's pov

I waited for Nico outside the common room the next evening so we could go to our detention with Umbridge. McGonagall asked Nico earlier today why he hadn't shown up at her office when Umbridge told him to. He lied easily that he hadn't been feeling well and went to see Madam Pomfrey who agreed with Nico and even wrote a note excusing him for the rest of the day. Nico told me it was called 'manipulating the Mist'. I was still quite new to the mythology thing but I was sure he didn't mean the weather kind. He promised he would teach me eventually but then disappeared for the rest of the day, finally reappearing before bed smiling like a loon. 

Speaking of Nico he finally ran towards me with a pleased look on his face. I looked at him and he smiled. In the few months I've known Nico I still don't know what to make of his expressions. He seems to operate in reverse. When he smiles it's usually a sign to run. If he's scowling it means he hasn't decided what exactly to do with you yet but the fact that you exist annoys him. Lastly if he's glaring at you and is visibly angry then you should run. Nico di Angelo is a very easy person to be friends with, said no one ever, but now I can't imagine not being friends with him.

" Potter " he nodded at me " We doing detention today? "

" Yeah, until Friday evening " he frowned

" She's cutting into my schedule " I raised an eyebrow

" I am literally the only person you talk to " he rolled his eyes

" Exactly, my teaching schedule. I wanted to start teaching you how to use a sword. I didn't get you one so you could admire it, and I promised, I never break a promise " I nodded, my eyes widening 

I had been waiting to learn sword fighting ever since he had agreed to teach me, I was even more anxious to learn once he'd given me a sword, I wore the pendent everyday despite me still having no sword skills whatsoever. Nico said that as a demigod, or at least godly descendant, I should either naturally have some skills, or naturally suck, depending on which god it was. I hoped it was the first one, no offense to Apollo.

" Do you think we can still fit in sword fighting after detentions? " he shrugged

" Depends on how long they are and what she wants us to do, speaking of which we better get going " I groaned and we began the journey to Umbridge's office. Finally we stood outside her office. We exchanged looks and I knocked on the door.

"Come in," she said in a sugary voice. we entered cautiously, looking around

The office was totally unrecognizable. The surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each residing on its own doily, and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large technicolor kitten wearing a different bow around its neck. These were so foul that Nico stared at them, transfixed, until Professor Umbridge spoke again.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter, Mr.di Angelo."

"Evening," I said stiffly, Nico didn't seem to want to desend to her level by acknowledging her presence

"Well, sit down," she said, pointing toward two small tables draped in lace each with a straight-backed chair. A piece of blank parchment lay on each table, apparently waiting for us

"Er," I started, without moving. "Professor Umbridge? Er — before we start, I-I wanted to ask you a . . . a favor."

Her bulging eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes?"

"Well I'm . . . I'm on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And I was supposed to be at the tryouts for the new Keeper at five o'clock on Friday and I was — was wondering whether I could skip detention that night and do it — do it another night . . . instead . . ."

Nico gave me a look that said: 'You are either really or brave or really dumb'

"Oh no," said Umbridge, smiling so widely that she looked as though she had just swallowed a particularly juicy fly. "Oh no, no, no. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, Mr. Potter, and punishments certainly cannot be adjusted to suit the guilty one's convenience. No, you will come here at five o'clock tomorrow, and the next day, and on Friday too, and you will do your detentions as planned. I think it rather a good thing that you are missing something you really want to do. It ought to reinforce the lesson I am trying to teach you."

I felt the blood surge to my head my ears popped and I could smell ozone. So I told evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, did I?

With a massive effort I looked away from her, and sat down, Nico sitting next to me.

"There," said Umbridge sweetly, "we're getting better at controlling our temper already, aren't we? Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me, boys. No, not with your quill," she added, as I bent down to open my bag. "You're going to be using rather special ones of mine. Here you are."

She handed us each a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point.

"I want you both to write 'I must not tell lies,' " she told him softly.

"How many times?" I asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.

"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in," said Umbridge sweetly. "Off you go."

She moved over to her desk, sat down, and bent over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking. I realized something was missing

"You haven't given us any ink," I said.

"Oh, you won't need ink," said Professor Umbridge with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice.

I placed the point of the quill on the paper and wrote: I must not tell lies.

I let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of my hand, cut into my skin as though traced there by a scalpel yet even as I looked at it, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth.

I looked around at Umbridge. She was watching us, her wide, toadlike mouth stretched in a smile.

"Yes?"

"Nothing," I said quietly.

Nico stared, from me, to Umbridge, to where cuts had begun to appear on _his_ hand. 

" Is something the matter Mr.di Angelo? " Nico grit his teeth and I could see murderous fire in his eyes

I shook my head slightly. He ignored me and stood up. Professor Umbridge smiled sinisterly.

" Actually Professor, " his voice echoed through the room, clearer than normal " Harry and I already finished our detention for today, when you wake it will be past midnight and you will collect our papers " I stared at him incredulously while Umbridge looked confused

" Mr.di Angelo, what is the meaning of- " he snapped his fingers and it echoed loudly

Her eyes glazed over and he pointed at her.

" Sleep " she went limp and slumped over her desk and I could do nothing but stare like an imbecile

Nico took both quills and he burnt them in his hand with a purple and black fire I've never seen before. Darkness radiated from him and it hit me hard that he was definitely something more than human.

" Come on Harry, you're learning how to use a sword today " I blinked at him before nodding 

He lead me through the castle. At first I wasn't sure he knew where he was going until I noticed the white shimmer of a ghost ahead of him. Finally we stopped in front of a tapestry with Nico staring at the wall opposite it.

" Here we are my King " Nearly Headless Nick bowed and Nico nodded

" Thank you Sir Nick, you are dismissed

He bowed again and floated away. I knew Nico was the son of Hades, god of the dead, but just how powerful was he? Despite a part of me being fearful of his abilities I wanted to know more about my friend and his abilities, maybe then I could find out what mine are. He looked directly at the wall.

" Give us a place to practice sword fighting " he paced in front of the wall three times and suddenly a door appeared. 

" How did you do that? " I stared at the door in a amazement, magic would never stop impressing me

He smiled 

" Not me, the castle, it's a place called the Room of Requirement, it gives you whatever you need. When the janitor dude needs extra cleaning supplies it's a broom closet, when I needed a place to train yesterday it was an arena, and- "

"— and if you really needed a bathroom," I said suddenly remembering something Dumbledore had said at the Yule Ball the previous Christmas, "would it fill itself with chamber pots?"

He chuckled a little at my wording but nodded.

" I suppose so, yes, so Potter, ready to start your demigod training? "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1618 words
> 
> I did have to use some excerpts from OotP in this one as I have had to in other chapters and I don't own them, just as a reminder. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think in the comments. How do you think Harry will do in his sword practice? Do you think Nico's trick with the Mist worked on Umbridge? How much longer will Nico's sanity hold out with Dumbridge on the loose? Do you think we'll find out Harry's godly heritage soon? Leave kudos if you think it's the next chapter! Also let me know what you think in the comments. I love hearing your theories and some I've seen are really good. That's all we have today, love you all, bye!
> 
> ~Tahala


	18. A/N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please don't skip

Give me a minute! I hate A/Ns as much as the next person but this is important. Okay for Harry's godly heritage, I have two ways to go. One, we'll find out in the next chapter, but it isn't as cool as I'd like. Two: It will take a pretty long time depending on how much of the book I can skim but I really like it and it gives Percy getting claimed vibes that makes me excited. I rly can't decide so let me know what you guys will think but I cannot write Chapter 18 until I know which way I'm going with this. Thanks!  
~Tahala

Edit: Alright! I'm in it for the long haul. It'll take longer but I promise you it'll be worth it, and there will be even more plot twists and surprising stuff on the way ;) Thanks for suggestions! I'll have Chapter 18 up asap!


	19. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys do some training, Umbridge is annoying, and Nico is a conspiracy theorist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skip if you want, it's just about my personal life, it's okay :)
> 
> Me: As a religious muslim I have to be heterosexual and cisgender but luckily I actually am so I don't need to have any problems figuring out my preference or identity.
> 
> Asexuality: I'm an exception :D
> 
> Me: Welp, I guess I'm obligated to try garlic bread now
> 
> I feel like it took longer than it should have (there was a reason I never understood some of my friends' jokes, also a reason why me, a cishet is on LGBT tik tok) but I can finally say confidently that I am ace and proud (in the quietest way possible). I have evolved like a Pokemon, from ally to member. Also this doesn't mean that the homophobes are right. Seeing LGBT stuff doesn't make you LBGT, it either educates you if you aren't LGBT and helps you find yourself if you are. If you have a problem with that, please read my works without sharing your opinion on that topic. Idk why you'd be here tho, I warned you in the first chapter. And please don't hate on the aces by invalidating us, don't mess with me and my 70 million friends. Don't hate on any other person either, not because of their gender, sex, race, looks, or sexual orientation. Only if they're a bad person. If you're a bigot sharing your bigot-ness you better leave before I report and block you. Now I need to buy a black ring to send out the ace vibes without my parents knowing cuz I will camp in the closet until I'm out of here.
> 
> Sorry for the super long wait, we're nearly halfway through the second quarter of school and I've been really busy. However for my Americans I'm on Thanksgiving break soon so yay! Enough of my rambling on with the show!

Nico's pov

In all fairness it went better than it could have. The room looked similar to when I was training solo earlier this week except for the extra padding on the floor and walls. There was armor and wooden swords on shelves which would be very useful. I may not value safety a lot when it comes to training but I don't think Hecate would appreciate it if I put the Chosen One in danger for some simple sword training. 

Harry looked amazed and started looking around while I tried to remember how I started learning how to sword fight. I started strapping on my armor while Harry looked at me curiously.

" So you always train like this? " I shrugged and adjusted my shoulder straps

" Kinda, it's usually more intense though, I don't usually wear armor but I figured if I'm basically your trainer in all things demigod, I might as well teach you how to put strap on your armor without looking like a 10 year old during their first capture the flag game "

" Capture the flag? " he looked completely baffled 

" Uh, American thing, I'll explain later " He nodded and I tried to find him a balanced sword

Finally after we were both suited up and ready I decided the first thing I needed to do was teach Harry how to hold a sword properly without impaling himself.

" I thought you said you used a sword before? " I asked as I adjusted his grip for the fourth time

" I did! Once, when I was 12, against a seventy foot long snake. I never actually learned how to use a sword but when battling a snake some sort of instincts kick in okay? " I shook my head exasperatedly

" I am very fearful for the day you meet Percy " he just looked amused

" He sounds brilliant, can't wait to meet him " I rolled my eyes

" Trust me, once you meet the late and great Percy Jackson you'll be disappointed " his eyes widened

" Wait, 'late and great' is he dead?! " he stared at me and glanced at my sword like he expected me to spear him with it 

" No he's just late to a lot of things and people say he's really great for some reason " he sighed

" Alright good, so are we actually starting now? " I grinned and he looked like he regretted his question 

One thing I learned quickly about Harry's sword skills, they were non existent. His grip still sucks but at least it wouldn't go flying out of his hands if I hit it. However he didn't hold it loose enough to still be fluid with his movements. His stance was horrible, he looked like he was standing in from of Snape's desk to ask to use the restroom or something. He didn't push much strength behind his blows either, whether he needed to build strength or learn how to use it was to be decided. 

The only thing that saved me from bashing my head into the wall was Harry's speed. For all his weak or sloppy blows, he was extremely good at dodging and had great reflexes. I suppose that was to be expected seeing as he's the Gryffindor Seeker (see Ron? I'm learning) but I was just glad that those skills applied to fighting too. 

So far I couldn't think of who Harry's godly parent could be. Hermes because of his speed? He was pretty sneaky but I think the Weasley twins applied better. Apollo? His blows had accuracy at the very least and his lack of swordsmanship would make sense because then he'd be better acquitted for a bow and arrow. I doubt it's Athena, he isn't very studious despite his street smarts. I can definitely rule out Demeter, if anyone it's going to be Neville. 

I sighed while knocking Harry's sword out of his hand for at least the 538th time. I guess I'll just have to wait until they reveal themselves. Worst comes to worst I seek out Lily and James in Elysium but even that is risky. Not all gods reveal themselves to their lovers so even they might not know. I checked the time, it was already past midnight, we'd have to be careful getting back to the tower.

" Alright Harry I think it's time we wrap things up " he had retrieved his sword by now but looked a bit disappointed

" Already? I barely learned anything " maybe I shouldn't count out Athena yet

" True but it'll take time, Gaea wasn't defeated in a day, we should get back to the dormitories " he sighed but starting taking off his armor

Soon we both had our robes back on properly and were sneaking through the hallways back to Gryffindor Tower. I naturally clung to the shadows and Harry kept cursing under his breath for not bringing his Invisibility Cloak. I made a mental note to ask about that Cloak later on, I remembered he used it once but I had been able to sense him. Surprisingly I wasn't sensing his soul, he had somehow given off an aura of death that he normally doesn't have. The only death related thing I can think of about Harry was the fact that he was a horcrux, which was a problem for another day. 

Things were going better than they usually did when The Fates decided I was much too cheerful and things started going the way they usually did again.

" Did you see Mr.Potter and Mr. di Angelo earlier Mr.Filch " I stiffened at Umbridge's voice

Some part of me acknowledged that she said 'Mister' three times in a row, once for two children, and once for an adult. I wondered if that offended Mr.Filch.

" I saw 'em a few hours ago headed for your office Professor " I pulled Harry further down the corridor, they were just around the bend. 

" Hmm, I do remember seeing them and having them in my office for detention, they were writing lines, but when I had their sheets there was barely anything written "

I had to refrain from cursing loudly in Greek. Of course I couldn't just alter her memory, I should've made sure the papers matched. So stupid. I also had to refrain from hitting my head against the wall. Their shadows crept closer and Harry and I continued to back away. We need to get back to the dormitory but they were in our path, there was no other way we could go.

" That's strange, do you reckon they tried to trick you and use invisible ink? " she sighed

" No, I made sure they used, a certain ink, that isn't it "

My rage from earlier came back full force and I wanted to throttle her then and there. She was the kind of sick, twisted person who deserved to rot in the Fields of Punishment. Perhaps I should do with her what I did Bryce Lawrence. I shook my head to try to calm down. Okay, no, we're not doing that, The Fates will get decree her time, Thanatos will collect her soul, and Father will see her to justice. It was still hard to resist, perhaps passing by and allowing my sword to brush against her. After all, I didn't mean to suck out her soul. My thoughts were interrupted as I heard their footsteps quicken and get closer. 

Harry and I scrambled backwards as quietly as possible but they were too close. My instincts worked before my brain. I grabbed Harry and ducked behind a suit of armor. I reached for the shadows and pulled us in, focusing on the dormitory. I felt the familiar rush of shadow travel and in seconds we had made it. Harry's knees immediately buckled and he lied on the floor staring up at the ceiling.

" That, ugh, was not my favorite way of transportation, what was that? " I smiled a bit

" Shadow travel, a power of mine, it's how I got into 12 Grimmauld Place the first time " he looked impressed

" No wonder none of our protection spells worked, it was demigod transportation and couldn't be prevented by a wizard's spells "

" Yep, only a creature of the Underworld could do it, so that's me, my sister but she's not very good, monsters specific to the Underworld, and Underworld gods "

He sat up and took it in.

" Is it always so " he gestured around " weird? "

" Yeah, it take a while to get used to, it one of my more draining powers so I try not to use it too often " several memories of me shadow traveling to McDonald's resurfaced that I shoved back down " but I have mastered it at this point after pushing myself to the limit about a year ago "

" I wish I knew what powers I had, if I even had them " he looked up wistfully, the way I've seen some unclaimed kids do

" I'm sure you'll find out, you're strong for a half-blood Harry, the wizard and godly kind. However every hero needs their rest, pardon me as I pass out " he chuckled and I drew the curtains around my bed

Harry would find out which god he was descended from, one way or another, and when he did, it's one more step on the way to defeating Tom Riddle so I can taunt him in the Fields of Punishment. With that thought I feel into an easy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1608 words
> 
> There we are, a longish chapter for the long hiatus, so sorry again. I hope you guys enjoyed and let me know what you think in the comments, I love hearing from you. Stay safe, you are valid, and don't forget your test tomorrow. Bye love you!
> 
> ~Tahala


	20. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Men don't know how to sleep and Ron just wanted to play Quidditch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY. I know it took me forever and a half to update but I did it! I promise you guys I'm not abandoning this, I have everything (most than usual of the things) planned out and I really enjoy writing it. It's the getting from Point A to epic cliffhanger that's a real head scratcher. Anyway I'm gonna try to update more consistently. Thank you so much for your patience. Also if I were to write something for Avatar:The Last Airbender would you guys read it? I absolutely love that show and it's the first show where I prefer a fanon ship over a canon one. It broke my streak but it was worth it. See if you can guess which ship it is ;) Also I feel like if Nico were a bender it would be earth or fire, but consider Nico as a blood bender instead of Percy. The stuff of nightmares. Enough of my rambling now, on with the show!

Ron's pov

I woke up poorly rested the next day and it seems like I wasn't the only one. Harry woke up a few minutes after me with dark circles under his eyes and a slightly confused expression as if he wasn't quite sure where or who he was for a moment. Neville, Dean, and Seamus had already left which raised a red flag in my head as to how late we were for breakfast. 

Nico was awake and ready but had decided to wait for us for some reason. He looked like he had slept less than both me and Harry. I wondered if it had to do with detention last night. I would ask but Nico's expression said that would be bad for my health. Harry and I quickly showered and threw on our robes and the three of us rushed down to the Great Hall.

Hermione was there waiting for us and did not look pleased.

" Where have you boys been? We have our first class soon! " I waved her off

" We just overslept, well, Harry and I did, I have no clue what Nico was doing all morning " he glared at me from his spot next to Harry

" I was just catching up on homework, I didn't have time to do it last night " he finished bitterly and I was now sure that their detention had something to do with it " 

" What did she make you guys do anyway? " I asked around a mouthful of food as Hermione rolled her eyes

Nico looked like he was going to go on a long tirade but Harry elbowed him.

" Just lines, dull but not that bad " Nico gave him a murderous looks that said he in fact did think it was bad but just huffed and turned away

" Well that's a relief, you boys have to be more careful next time. I don't know about Nico, but you aren't exactly on top of your homework normally Harry " he sighed

" I know Hermione, I'm not planning on making a habit of it, but what were we supposed to do! She was saying all this rubbish about Voldemort not being back and calling me a liar, not to mention she's probably going to be the worst Defense teacher we've ever had! " He exclaimed while staying his fork into his toast

Hermione got that thoughtful look she had when she had an idea that the rest of us wouldn't like and nodded slowly.

" True, not using magic at all, and it doesn't really sound like she knows what she's doing does it? " Nico snorted

" You kidding? She sounded like my cousin when he tried to explain pre calculus to me. A bunch of bloody excuses to hide the fact that she doesn't know anything about the subject. Sounds to me like Dumbridge doesn't want us to be well versed in Defense " Harry and I chuckled while Hermione frowned

" I mean, you're not wrong but why wouldn't she want us to know defense? " he shrugged and chugged down the rest of his orange juice

" Maybe she's in on it with Riddle and doesn't want us to be ready for when he decides he's ready for world domination " he said it casually as though saying it would rain later today

We all stared at him and Hermione turned to me and mouthed 'Riddle?' I shrugged, him and Harry were close, maybe he told him You-Know-Who's real name. Finally she stood up.

" We have Herbology soon, we best get going " she started walking to the grounds and Nico groaned but stood up

" Why'd we have to have Herbology, plants hate me and the feeling is mutual! " Harry patted his shoulder and we went off to class 

The day went by and that night at the same time as last night, Harry and Nico went off to detention. I glanced around to see the common room was fairly empty considering it was only 5. I was headed to my dorm to get my broom and see if I can fit in any extra Quidditch practice before Keeper try-outs but I felt a hand on my arm. I turned to face Hermione.

" Ron wait, I want to talk to you about something " I glanced up the stairs before sighing and sitting back down

" What is it? I kind of have things to do " she looked around as if she didn't want to be overheard and leaned in closer to me.

I felt a lot hotter all of a sudden, she must have been very warm.

" It's kind of complicated, there are lot of things I want to say and they're kind of connected but the most important thing would probably be- " I cut her off

" Well quit your yapping and starting connecting then " she glared at me before taking out a book and flipped to a page she bookmarked

" So when we first meet Nico I thought his last name sounded familiar, and I found it in my book. The di Angelo family was a well known pureblood Italian family, but that last member, Maria di Angelo lived during World War II " I furrowed my eyebrows

" So? It could just be a coincidence. Besides Nico's a half-blood and he said his mom was a muggle. Unless you think Nico is somehow from the 1930s " she nodded quickly and continued

" I know, that's what I thought, but there were also rumors that she had children before she left for America, maybe Nico's dad is a descendant of hers somehow " I blinked at her 

" Alright, this is some great mystery solving we're doing but I don't understand what Nico's family history has to do with anything. Not to mention it isn't our business- "

" Oh come on Ronald, since when do you care about that? " she rolled her eyes

" Usually I don't, but, I don't want the guy who looks like he can kill me at any time to find out I've been snooping in his life! " I exclaimed throwing my hands up

" That's exactly why we need to investigate! Don't you think he's a little odd? He shows up in the middle of a secret organization to resist You-Know-Who, knows all about it, is apparently an exchange student from America, and spends nearly all his time with Harry talking in that weird language. I didn't even know Harry spoke another language until he came along! He's suspicious I just to make sure that he's not a danger " I thought about that for a bit

What she said made a lot of sense, to be honest the details about Nico's arrival have become kind of blurry for me. As if my mind had been fogged up or something. However I did remember his appearance was sudden, and none of us knew much about him. None of us except Harry, who was at detention with the suspect.

" At right then, what do you suggest we do? " she smiled as if that was what she was waiting for

" We are going to find out who Nico di Angelo is, where he's from, and what he's really here for "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1226 words
> 
> Seems like we have two detectives on Nico's trail, what do you think of Maria's backstory? Why is Nico grouchier than normal and why are all the boys sleeping like crap? Do think Hermione will tear down Nico's web of lies? Let me know in the comments and stay tuned. I'll see you soon, Love you guys!
> 
> ~Tahala


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